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Saint-Germain-des-Prés (abbey)
Abbey located in Paris, in France / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ de pʁe]) is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter of Paris. It was originally the church of a Benedictine abbey founded in 558 by Childebert I, the son of Clovis, King of the Franks. It was destroyed by the Vikings, rebuilt, and renamed in the 8th century for Saint Germain, a 6th century bishop. It was rebuilt with elements in the new Gothic style in the 11th century, and was given the first flying buttresses in the 12th century. It is considered the oldest existing church in Paris.[1]
Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés | |
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Location | Paris |
Country | France |
Denomination | Catholic |
Website | |
History | |
Founded | 6th century |
Founder(s) | Childebert I |
Dedicated | 754. dedicated to Saint Germain |
Consecrated | 6th century |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Former Abbey church, parish church |
Heritage designation | French historic monument |
Designated | 1862 |
Architectural type | Romanesque, Gothic |
Completed | 1641 |
Administration | |
Archdiocese | Paris |
Originally located outside the walls of medieval Paris, in the fields and meadows of the Left Bank, known as "les Pres", the church was the center of a rich and important abbey complex, famous for its illuminated manuscripts and scholarship, and was the burial place of Germain, and of Childebert and other rulers of the Merovingian Dynasty.[2][3] Most of the Abbey, except for the chapel and the palace of the Bishop, was destroyed during the French Revolution. Afterwards the chapel was restored and became the parish church.