Saint-Ambroise Church

Visit description

Built under the Second Empire, Saint-Ambroise Church is a vast eclectic building that blends Romanesque and Gothic influences. Designed by Théodore Ballu to dominate the new Boulevard Voltaire, it answered a double challenge: to be monumental while remaining economical.

Its exterior, with twin spires, shelters a richly endowed interior. From mural paintings recounting the lives of Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine to chapels dedicated to the neighbourhood’s trades (cabinetmakers, blacksmiths), the church reads like an open book on faith and the sociology of 19th‑century Paris.

Visit plan

Step 1: The baptistery

Discover the octagonal baptismal font decorated with the symbols of the Evangelists, located beneath the left tower.

Step 2: Saint Éloi Chapel

Visit the chapel dedicated to the patron saint of goldsmiths and blacksmiths—an homage to the area’s working population.

Step 3: The choir and the ciborium

Admire the altar crowned by a monumental canopy (ciborium) in stone and bronze, inspired by Milan.

Step 4: The life of Saint Ambrose

Look at the canvases in the right transept recounting Bishop Ambrose’s courage before Emperor Theodosius.

Step 5: The chevet

Contemplate the stained glass of the rear chapels, dedicated to Saint Geneviève, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.

Step 6: Saint Augustine

In the left transept, discover Augustine’s story—converted by Ambrose—through stained glass and paintings.

Step 7: Joan of France

Observe the statue of the foundress of the Annonciades, recalling the former convent that once stood here.

Step 8: The monumental façade

Step outside to admire the verticality of the spires and the symbolism of the three porches evoking the Trinity.