Tour+St+Jacques



The Tour Saint-Jacques (St. Jaques Tower) is a monument in Paris. It was built as a church in the gothic style between 1509 and 1523 and dedicated to St. James the Great. However, the tower is all that remains. The original church and tower welcomed pilgrims as a departure point setting out on the road, giving significant value to the historic routes in France.

The church, was demolished in 1793 with the exception of the tower. One theory of why the church was destroyed was due to its strong Catholic connection during the later stages of the French Revolution. The church sold in 1824 and part of the condition of the sale was that the tower be preserved. It was later purchased again by the City of Paris and in 1836 it was declared a Historic Monument.

In 1862 the tower was restored and was placed on a pedestal in order for the tower to retain its original elevations. A small park was built around the tower, adding beat to the monument. A statue of Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and physicist, is located at the base of the tower, commemorating the experiments on atmospheric pressure. There is also a meteorological laboratory station that was established in 1891 at the top of the tower.

The sculpted symbols of the four evangelists are sculpted in each corner of the Tower. In one corner is an angel for St. John and in another corner the lion for St. Mark. The bull for St. Luke and the eagle for St. Matthew are found in the other corners. There is also a statue of Saint Jacques le Majeur that stands in the northwest corner. Restoration has taken place during the last century, along with the gargoyles and the 18 statues of saints that decorate the walls of the tower. The tower was undergoing renovations that began in 2007, then finally on April 18, 2009 the scaffolds and sheeting were removed and the park was reopened to the public.