Église Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

Facing the eastern colonnade of the Louvre, this church served for centuries as the parish of the French kings when they resided in the adjacent palace. Its architecture blends Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance elements, crowned by an ornate flamboyant porch and a richly carved interior. The building is infamously associated with the 1572 Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, when its bell is said to have signalled the killings. Alongside the neighbouring town hall and belfry, it forms a distinctive ensemble at the heart of old Paris.