Saint-Eustache

The church of Saint Eustace’s is considered a masterpiece of late gothic architecture. The church was well known and had a reputation strong enough to be chosen for Louis XIV to receive his communion. Mozart also chose Saint Eustace to have his mother’s funeral to be at this place.  This church dates back to the 13th century. In 1223 this church became a parish because of a man named Jean Alais, when he taxed baskets of fish sold nearby, granted by King Philip Augustus. To show his gratitude, he Alais built a chapel dedicated to Sainte Agnes, a Roman martyr. Work on the current church began in 1532 and wasn’t completed until 1637. Saint Eustace was given as the name of the church, referring to a Roman general of the AD, who was burned along with his family for converting to Christianity. It’s said that a relic of Saint Eustace was moved to the church, therefore named after him.

The structure of the church is Gothic with renaissance detail. The church is considered to be short in length, measuring 105 meters. The highest points of the vaulted ceilings measure 33.45 meters high. The right tower is a stump and the left tower was completed in a renaissance style. The front and rear of the church contrast each other. The front can be describes as regular and sober, while the rear is described as exuberant with Gothic forms, classical details and organization. The church’s organ is located on the west side and is said to be the largest organ in France with over 8,000 pipes, even larger than that of Notre Dame. It was almost entirely rebuilt in 1989 and has a few of the original pipes and the original wooden buffet.