Église Saint-Sulpice

I’ll never forget my first visit to Saint-Sulpice in Paris. That first time wasn’t even planned. Because my visits to Paris are usually quite short, Saint-Sulpice never even made it onto my ‘must see‘ list to be honest, and it was only because my cousin (who was lucky enough to call Paris home at the time) took Stephanie and me there that we went at all.

It was our first day in Paris and we were en route to a well-known pharmacy to stock up on fancy French skin products at much cheaper prices than we’d pay back home. We were excited to get to our destination, but my cousin insisted that we stop in at her favourite church.

Holy Hanna! Saint-Sulpice is beautiful! It’s impressive both inside and out and entering through the doors you’re immediately hit with a sense of peace and calm.

What I’ve since learned is that it’s the second largest church in Paris, coming in only slightly smaller than world famous Notre Dame Cathedral (le sigh). What surprised me most is how less busy and chaotic it was in comparison. We were able to wander around at our own leisurely pace, and not feel like we were being physically pushed along by the masses – which is how I felt every time I visited Notre Dame Cathedral.

Built over a 130 year period (beginning back in 1646 during the regency of Queen Anne of Austria), Saint-Sulpice has seen Victor Hugo marry and Marquis De Sade baptized. It was also featured in Dan Brown’s famous, The Da Vinci Code.

My favourite features are the mismatched towers outside, and the fantastic pipe organ inside. The pipe organ is apparently renowned as the best in the world, and the position of Organ Master tops the list for many as the most coveted. I hope that a future visit to Paris coincides with a concert at Saint-Sulpice.

Click here if you’re interested in seeing my full Saint-Sulpice album.

Bonne journée!

Marla