Church of Saint-Sulpice

A stone’s throw from the Luxembourg Museum is the imposing Saint-Sulpice Church, recognisable by its two tall towers at the entrance. Apparently, the church was built in the Middle Ages to help the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, whose faithful were too numerous.

The fame of Saint-Sulpice grew considerably after it was mentioned in the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code by author Dan Brown. Since then, aficionados from all over the world have rediscovered its charm, searching for details from the novel.

The façade

Over time, the church has undergone many improvements and embellishments. The current appearance of the façade dates back to the 18th century, but its appearance differs considerably from the original design. In fact, the large central gable was destroyed by lightning and the towers changed shape by order of Jean-François Chalgrin, who completed the North Tower in 1781.

If we look carefully, we can see that the two towers have two different architectures, the South Tower being taller than the North Tower. Unlike Servandoni’s initial plans, the building is not absolutely symmetrical.

The Interior

The Rococo interior of the church houses many unique works of art, including the holy water stoups sculpted by Jean Baptiste Pigalle as well as the statue of the Virgin, the tomb of Jean-Baptiste Joseph Languet de Gergy and the incredible frescoes by Eugène Delacroix, including Jacob’s Struggle with the Angel and Heliodorus driven out of the Temple.

To visit the terraces or the crypts, we recommend you book guided tours, which take place on the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 3 p.m. for the crypts and on the fourth Saturday of the month for the upper parts of the façade.

How to get there

The Saint Sulpice church is located a stone’s throw from the Saint-Germain de Pres district and the Latin Quarter.

It can be easily reached using metro line 4, St-Sulpice stop, or by bus 58, 63, 70, 86, 87, 89 and 95.