Interior of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Paris, a photo from Ile-de-France, North

Photographer's Note

Interior of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, Paris

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, one of many interesting churches in Paris, houses the reliquary which used to hold the body of Sainte-Geneviève, patroness of Paris. Of equal importance is the only surviving choir screen in Paris.

The relatively small but remarkable Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is tucked behind the massive Pantheon. The church replaced a small chapel dedicated to Sainte Geneviève, patroness of Paris. The chapel was part of the Sainte Geneviève abbey.

Construction

The church was built over a period of more than 100 years, with construction starting in 1492 and ending in 1626. This resulted in a mixture of architectural styles, including gothic and renaissance. The front facade, which consists of no less than three pediments, even features a classical porch.
The abbey was demolished in the 18th century, only the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont and the bell tower of the abbey (the Tour Clovis) survived. The church suffered much damage during the French Revolution but was renovated thoroughly during the 19th century.

Interior

While the exterior, and specifically the front facade and bell tower are elegantly designed, the beauty of the church is inside. The renaissance choir screen with double spiraling staircase - the only surviving example in Paris - is truly magnificent.
Another attraction is the golden reliquary which used to hold the remains of Sainte Geneviève and a number of relics. Sainte Geneviève is the patron saint of Paris and Parisians regularly brought the relics in a procession from the church to the Notre Dame Cathedral and back in the belief that it would stave off catastrophes such as the plague and floods.
This ceremony was brought to an end in 1793 when revolutionaries burned the body of Sainte Geneviève and melted the relics at the Place de Grève in front of the city hall. Only the tomb survived.

Important French figures such as playwright Jean Racine and physicist Blaise Pascal are buried inside the church. (Source: aviewoncities/paris)

danos, snunney, Highmountains, jhm, holmertz, lakshmip1949, Schnappilic, Sonata11, mohammad_H, jjcordier, jlbrthnn, Graal, siamesa, Angshu has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

danos (73974) 2012-09-02 3:37

Good morning george,
very nice hte light and the colour management of the interior of the St-Étienne church with the arcade to creates depth and perspective in the image.
I like the clarity as the sharpness of the image.

Have a good Sunday,Danos

timecapturer (30324) 2012-09-02 3:47

Hi György
a superb interior shot, with so much detail and a great sense of height. Subtle light that makes the image so attractive and beautiful.

Enjoy your Sunday - Brian.

snunney (67334) 2012-09-02 4:08

Hello George,
The perfect Sunday image. A fine capture of this magnificent interior, which is shown in superb detail. Well chosen point of view complemented by excellent light management. Have a good one!

jhm (122444) 2012-09-02 4:29

Hello György,

You know that I am a very great fan of church interiors as this.
Nice depth and perspective picture with a lovely ceiling.
Excellent compositio, sharpness and clarity are fantastic.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a nice Sunday,
John

Sergiom (39223) 2012-09-02 4:32

Bonjour George,

Quel impressionnant intérieur d'église.Le cadrage vertical donne une impression de hauteur et d'ampleur .J'aime beaucoup les escaliers tournants en arrière plan.

Bon dimanche

Serge

holmertz (26932) 2012-09-02 4:47

Hello György,
Another fine interior shot. I am impressed by your good handling of the light inside the cathedral. My experience is that they usually give a rather dark impression. The good sharpness allows us to see the fine details well and the colours seem to be very natural.
Kind regards,
Gert

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-09-02 7:01

Hello George,

Truly amazing! This vertical shot is nicely captured showing from floor to ceiling with all the details . The colors, sharpness and lighting are perfect.

Lakshmi

rbellemare (2087) 2012-09-02 7:38

Hello George,

Great presentation of the inside of this church. The sharpness of your picture allows us to see all the beautiful details of this church.

Nicely done.

Réjean

Schnappilic (7927) 2012-09-02 8:50

Hello György,

Wonderful presentation of the interior of this church. The architecture is gorgeous and POV was right selected. Great result! Congratulations!

All the best,

Ovidiu

Sonata11 (28331) 2012-09-02 9:15

Hello George,
Oh!!!! what an impressively beautiful interior architecture of this church and the ceiling, pillars, fabulous details, awesome!!!!. Wonderfully captured and magificent executed photo. Fantastic work. I really like it. Very beautioful and elegant photo.
Thanks for sharing.
All the best and have a nice Sunday,
Barbara

mohammad_H (6598) 2012-09-02 9:27

Hello dear friend
Super beautiful and elegant decorative patterns and designs
Good resolution
Good night and I hope to succeed in life and be happy

JFS (32129) 2012-09-02 9:42

I find this one even nicer that the former one. Incredible light and sharpness, a marvel! thanks George!
Cheers,
Juan

Silvio1953 (98129) 2012-09-02 10:33

Ciao George, great perspective on fantastic interior, lovely symmetry, splendid light, wonderful colors and excellent clarity, very well done, my friend, have a good Sunday, ciao Silvio

kathryn_weir (1742) 2012-09-02 11:30

Hello George,
This is a stunning image with fine detail and wonderful depth. You have captured the many layers and perfectly mastered the light
Thanks for sharing
Kathryn

bona (10144) 2012-09-02 17:32

Hi George,

great photo from inside this wonderful church. I really like the architecture and the light. The exposition control was perfect.
Hugs
Andre

jjcordier (62328) 2012-09-02 23:11

George
Très bonne photo montrant bien la remarquable architecture intérieure de Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. Belle maitrise de la lumière.
Amicalement
JJ

dkmurphys (36801) 2012-09-03 1:00

Hi Gyorgy,
Another impressive interior capture. I like the architecture and the decorations. Well catch!

Daniel

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-09-03 4:32

Bonjour George,
Cette église est intéressante. La photo donne une bonne idée de son architecture intérieure. Un bon cadrage, et une excellente qualité. Bravo.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

Graal (88886) 2012-09-03 7:08

Jó napot George,
very nice interior of Parisian church. Good symmetry and composition. I like the details of architecture. Well informations and photowork.
Have a nice day.
Aleksander

siudzi (23879) 2012-09-03 14:01

Hi George,
This is another amazing interior captured during your stay in Paris. Love the golden tones and lights which created a very special look of this place. Well done, TFS!

Warm regards,
Malgorzata

siamesa (27449) 2012-09-03 16:29

Boa noite George

The interior of this church is marvelous and very rich. Spectacular capture. Superb colors.
Abraços
maria

amaryllis (30149) 2012-09-04 6:23

Bonjour Georg
superbe photo de cet intérieur d'église, imposante, belle architecture, un cadrage excellent nous permettant de voir presque l'ensemble
bravo pour cette superbe composition
Juliette

francio64 (38188) 2012-09-04 13:18

Hi George,
ottimo punto di ripresa per mostrare al meglio l'interno di questa bella chiesa.
Ottima gestione della luce e bella simmetria.

TFS!
L'Assessore

Angshu (51174) 2012-09-07 3:29

Dear George
Lovely interior shot with fine vaulted ceiling. The details & colours are fascinating! Like the contrast created by the chairs. Have never been to this church, but seeing your picture, maybe I should!
Best Regards
Angshu