St Julien Le Pauvre
St Julien le Pauvre is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Paris – discover this amazing little church in our guide here.
St Julien le Pauvre – the Church of St Julian the Poor – is one of the most beguiling of Paris churches. Within sight of Notre Dame, it’s also one of the great hidden gems of Paris, attracting but a fraction of the visitors the likes of its famous neighbour and nearby Ste Chapelle normally receive.
This gorgeous church has a simple 12th century interior, and is one of the oldest churches of Paris. Its charm is in its humble simplicity, a rare find in the French capital. It’s also a minute’s walk from the long queue outside the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, and a wonderful place to seek some peace away from the Paris crowds.
Our guide to St Julien le Pauvre tells you everything you’ll need to know about the church, its history, how to find it and, most importantly of all, getting inside to visit this Parisian marvel.
Why Visit St Julien Le Pauvre Church Paris
Saint Julien le Pauvre is one of the most beautiful churches of Paris.
It’s a very small, simple church – in contrast to magnificent Notre Dame de Paris across the river.
It is one of the oldest Parisian churches – if not, perhaps, in foundation, but the fabric much of the building is a rare Romanesque survivor in the city.
It’s also very quiet and atmospheric, a wonderful escape from the hubbub of the French capital outside.
St Julien le Pauvre is unusual in that it’s a western European medieval church housing several Orthodox elements, including the ornate gold-painted iconostasis, or wooden altar screen.
Eglise St Julien Le Pauvre History
A church or chapel may have been built on the site of St Julien le Pauvre as early as the 6th century AD. However, the present building was begun in the late 12th century, when the rounded Romanesque (sometimes also called Norman) arches were still common.
However, the initial building may have taken several decades to complete. The pointed Gothic arches of the chancel – also in evidence across the river in Notre Dame and, famously, at the Basilica of St Denis – were added later.
Part of the nave was demolished in the 17th century, and the present, plain west façade was added at this time. Nonetheless, the church was considered for demolition in the aftermath of the French Revolution in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
A few decades after restoration by Franz Christian Gau – who also worked on the nearby church of St Severin – it was taken over by the Greek Melkite Catholics in 1889, and remains their centre of worship in Paris to this day.
Who Was Saint Julien Le Pauvre?
St Julien le Pauvre means ‘St Julian the Poor’, but it’s not entirely clear as to which of over ten saints named Julian the church is dedicated.
One possibility is St Julian of Le Mans. He was the first bishop of Le Mans, who preached to the Cenomani people who lived in this part of the Roman province of Gaul in the third century AD.
According to various legends he ended a drought by creating a hole in the ground and praying, which led to water flowing out of the ground. He was also known for his care of the poor and sick, and eventually retired to live as a hermit.
St Julian the Hospitaller is the other most likely ‘St Julien le Pauvre’. Very little is known about him – and he is said to have come from places as far apart as Belgium and the Marche region of central Italy – which doesn’t really help with historical detective work.
One legend tells how he was supposedly cursed and later unknowingly killed his parents, mistakenly believing them to be his sleeping wife and her (non-existent) lover. He dedicated life to Christ thereafter, opening a hospice for travellers and also caring for the poor.
Église Saint Julien Le Pauvre Paris – What To See
St Julien le Pauvre is a simple late Romanesque church with a small nave and classic rounded arches. I have seen it described as the oldest church in Paris – the nave is one of the oldest surviving parts of a church in Paris.
Some of the early medieval carved stone capitals survive, with depictions of leaves, plants and even harpies on some.
The striking golden iconostasis (wooden screen between nave and chancel) was completed by Georges Bitar in Damascus in 1890, the year after the church was given to the Melkites.
The four lower figures are the Virgin Mary, Christ Pantocrator, St John Chrysostom and St John the Baptist. The panels above depict scenes from the life of Christ.
St Julien le Pauvre is also one of the smaller churches in Paris, its tiny, intimate nave offering seating for, at a guess, 150-200 worshippers.
The park outside – Square René Viviani – is home to what is said to be the oldest tree in Paris. It’s a locust tree, said to be over 400 years old, and touching the bark of the tree is said to bring good luck.
Where Is St Julien Le Pauvre
It’s in the Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin) on rue St Julien le Pauvre, a 5-minute walk along the Seine from Place St Michel. It’s also within sight of Notre Dame Cathedral Paris, which is only around 200 metres away across the Seine as the crow flies.
St Julien le Pauvre is also next to Square René Viviani, one of the loveliest parks in Paris and a wonderful picnic spot with views of Notre Dame. The church is less than 100 metres from the permanently busy Shakespeare and Company bookshop, and a similar distance from the better-known Gothic church of St Severin.
How To Get To St Julien Le Pauvre
I have always tended to take a short-cut from Place St Michel (metro sign pictured above), passing St Severin and crossing Rue St Jacques to the church. This takes around five minutes.
It’s also easy to reach it from the Ile de la Cité, crossing the Petit Pont and either walking past Shakespeare and Company or along Rue du Petit Pont, turning left at the crossing.
As for transport links, bus number 47 calls at Lagrange (across the street from Square Viviani), Notre Dame Quai de Montebello or Petit Pont – each of these is no more than two minutes’ walk from St Julien le Pauvre church.
Alternatively, Metro line 10 stations Cluny-La Sorbonne and Maubert-Mutualité are both around a 5-minute walk away from Eglise Saint Julien le Pauvre.
St Julien Le Pauvre Paris Opening Times
St Julien le Pauvre is not the easiest church in Paris to visit, as I learned on my recent trip to the city.
I passed close by several times at different times of day, but the door was locked every time. I checked for opening times online, but had no luck. Eventually, around the fourth time I passed Église Saint Julien le Pauvre, I found a lead.
I spoke with a man selling tickets for a concert at St Julien le Pauvre the following evening, and he advised me that the church wasn’t open because the small parish couldn’t find anyone to do so. But it would be open before the concert the next day.
And so it was, so thirty years after first visiting, I was delighted to be able to return.
Before visiting, I kept an eye on the St Julien le Pauvre Facebook page – this usually lists concerts and service times, so the best way of getting inside the church is to arrive in advance of these.
At the time of writing, the website listed on the Facebook page has not been completed, but it is worth trying to contact the church via the Facebook page. It is regularly maintained and updated.
St Julien Le Pauvre Concerts
There are regular concerts in St Julien le Pauvre, which is renowned in Paris for its excellent acoustics. It’s also an incredibly atmospheric venue, and I’d love to see a performance there myself one day.
The intimate size of the church means that it’s suited to solo performances or small ensembles. When I visited a concert including Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was scheduled, and I’ve also seen events advertised from Chopin recitals to small Gospel singing groups.
St Julien Le Pauvre – Final Words
I first discovered St Julien le Pauvre when I spent most of a summer working in Paris in the early 1990s. Since then I have always thought of it as one of the most beautiful places in Paris, and the park outside is a great place to stop for a while with its fantastic view of Notre Dame.
I was very keen to revisit St Julien le Pauvre, hence my repeated attempts to visit, and I’m so glad my persistence paid off. For me it’s one of the best churches in Paris to visit, with none of the monumental grandeur of numerous others, just a humble simplicity, a mostly unadorned 800-year-old wonder.
Explore Some Of Our Other Articles On Churches In Paris:
Visiting Sacré Coeur Basilica – Discovering Paris’ ‘Church on the Hill’
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