Église de Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois (the
Church of St Germain of [the province of] Auxerrois, in Burgundy) is
situated opposite the palace of the Louvre, north-west of the Ile de
Citie. Founded in the seventh century, it was considered to be the church
of the kings of France. The current building was erected in the twelfth
century. Subsequent centuries saw many alterations made to the building,
resulting in a mixture of Roman, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.
Seen here in 1858 during the reconstruction of
the district, the church was without the tall tower which was built
subsequently. During the Wars of Religion, it was the bell in the
smaller tower (behind the nave), named 'Marie', which sounded on the
night of 23 August 1572, marking the beginning of the St
Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Thousands of Protestant Huguenots, who
visited the city for the wedding of Henry of Navarre, were killed by
the Parisian mob.
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