A tower without its church
Flamboyant Gothic, sole survivor of a church the Revolution sold.
Mbzt — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) — CC BY-SA 4.0 · DiscoA340 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · DiscoA340 — CC BY-SA 4.0
In a small garden between Châtelet and the Hôtel de Ville stands a flamboyant Gothic tower alone without its church: the Tour Saint-Jacques, all that remains of the great church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, built by the rich butchers of the neighbouring meat market in the sixteenth century and sold for its stones by the Revolution — the buyer being required to keep the tower. It was the Paris starting point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela — hence its name. Beneath it stands a statue of Pascal, who repeated his atmospheric pressure experiments here; on its 54-metre summit Saint James stands among the Evangelists' symbols. A beautiful passing station, not a destination: you will see it anyway between the Louvre and the Marais or Notre-Dame; it earns a circuit and its story — and the garden beneath is a rare shaded rest in Paris's heart.
Flamboyant Gothic, sole survivor of a church the Revolution sold.
Paris pilgrims' starting point towards Spain since the Middle Ages.
Here Pascal repeated his mercury experiments — science beneath a pilgrim tower.
Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques, 75004 Paris
The Clock Tower of the Palais de la CitéA square tower at the corner of the Palais de la Cité on the Île de la Cité, car3 minutes walk4.7
ConciergerieThe fortress façade with conical towers on the Seine embankment is the oldest an4 minutes walk4.3
Sainte ChapelleNo photograph does Sainte-Chapelle justice, and no description either. You enter5 minutes walk4.5
Point Zero of the French RoadsAn octagonal bronze plaque set into the paving of the square before Notre-Dame c6 minutes walk4.6
Pont NeufIts name means "New Bridge," and it is the oldest standing bridge in Paris — a f7 minutes walk4.7Looking for halal food near Tour Saint-Jacques? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
Chez le LibanaisHalalA small counter on Rue Saint-André des Arts, one of the busiest pedestrian stree9 minutes walk · $4.5DeryaHalalDerya is a Turkish grill house on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, the street Parisi22 minutes walk · $4.9Al DarHalalAl Dar is a Lebanese restaurant in the Latin Quarter, a few minutes on foot from10 minutes walk · $$4.1The Revolution nationalised France's churches and sold many as stone quarries — the butchers' church among them. The tower survived by a clause in the sale, then served as an observation post and a shot-making factory before the city bought and restored it. Paris is full of such half-survivors for those who read her.
For those who catch and book the summer tours: 300 steps to a rare central view including an unusually close Notre-Dame. But it is a prize of luck and planning — build no day upon it.
You do not — it fits itself: it sits on the natural line between Louvre/Rivoli and Notre-Dame/Marais. When you pass, give ten minutes for a circuit and a zoom at its upper carvings.