Saint-Augustin Church

Visit description

Saint-Augustin Church shapes the Parisian skyline thanks to its singular architecture and its strategic position at the crossroads of Boulevard Malesherbes. Built by Victor Baltard, it was the first major religious building to incorporate a complete metal structure, skilfully hidden beneath stone.

The interior surprises with its buttress-free volume and brightness, made possible by iron and cast iron. An atypical triangular plan—imposed by the plot—widens toward a monumental choir topped by an imperial dome, blending Romanesque, Byzantine, and Renaissance references.

Visit plan

Step 1: The monumental façade

Admire the statues of the cardinal and theological virtues that adorn this façade with industrial accents.

Step 2: The metal nave

Step inside to see the slender gilded cast-iron columns supporting the entire vault—one of Baltard’s feats.

Step 3: The choir and the dome

Look up at the 80-metre-high dome, painted with heavenly figures and resting on metal pillars.

Step 4: The chevet chapels

Discover the radiating chapels decorated with marble and paintings by Bouguereau.

Step 5: The Chapel of the Virgin

Pause in the axial chapel where Saint Augustine and Saint Monica flank the altar.

Step 6: The Saints Peter and Paul Chapel

Visit the left chapel adorned with a statue of Saint Marguerite‑Marie Alacoque.

Step 7: The great rose window and the organ

Finish by admiring the organ and the immense cast-iron rose window incorporating the signs of the Zodiac.