Église Saint-Eustache, Paris
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L'église Saint-Eustache is a church in the first arrondissement of Paris, built between 1532 and 1632.
Situated at the entrance to Paris’ ancient markets (Les Halles) and the beginning of the famous rue Montorgueuil, the Eglise de Saint-Eustache is another Parisian gothic gem. The church’s reputation was strong enough of the time for it to be chosen as the location for a young Louis XIV to receive communion. Mozart also chose the sanctuary as the location for his mother’s funeral. Among those baptised here as children were Richelieu, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, future Madame de Pompadour and Molière, who was also married here two decades later. The last rites for Anne of Austria, Turenne and Mirabeau were pronounced within its walls.
Situated in an area of Paris renowned for fresh produce of all kinds, the church became a parish in 1223, thanks to a man named Alais who achieved this by taxing the baskets of fish sold nearby. To thank such divine generosity Alais constructed a chapel dedicated to Sainte-Agnès, a Roman martyr. The construction of the current church began in 1532, the work not being finally completed until 1637. The name "Saint-Eustache" comes from a Roman General who was burned along with his family for converting to Christianity.
According to tourist literature on-site, during the French Revolution the church was (like most churches in Paris) desecrated and looted, and used for a time as a barn. However, several impressive paintings by Rubens remain in the church today. We are reminded of the musical significance of the church each summer with organ concerts, commemorating the premieres of Berlioz’s Te Deum and Liszt’s Messiah here in 1886.
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