Description of the attraction
The Church of Saint Herman in the Meadows, as translated from the French Saint-Germain-de-Pres, is the oldest in Paris. Already at the time of the Roman legionaries, in the 1st century, there was a Christian temple here. Later, in the Merovingian era, an abbey appeared here, from which today only the church remains.
The emergence of the abbey is associated with the name of the king of the Franks Childebert I. He brought from Spain a priceless relic - the tunic of the deacon of the Saragossa Church of St. Vincent, who was martyred under the Roman emperor Diocletian. The king ordered to nail the tunic to the gates of the city, but the Bishop Herman of Paris advised the king to establish a monastery to store the relics. The name of the bishop buried here was given to the abbey in 576.
Childebert I also found rest in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. In addition to him, three more kings from the Merovingian dynasty were buried here - Chilperic I, Fredegonda and Clotar II. In those ancient times, thus, the abbey became the forerunner of Saint-Denis - the first royal necropolis of the future France.
In 885, the abbey was completely plundered and burned by the Vikings, who rose in battle drakkars along the Seine to Paris. The construction of the current church began in the 11th century; it was rebuilt three times. As a result, the Romanesque and Gothic styles were bizarrely combined in it.
During the years of the French Revolution, a prison was located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés; more than two hundred priests were executed here. Then the temple was adapted for a warehouse of saltpeter, which is necessary for the production of gunpowder. Then the abbey, along with a rich library, was destroyed by fire. In the 19th century, the restored building was returned to the church.
Today the royal burials from Saint-Germain-des-Prés have been moved to Saint-Denis. The only relic of the royal rank remains in the old church - the heart of the great French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes rests here. The Catholic scholar died in exile in Sweden, and was buried in this Protestant country in the cemetery for the unbaptized. After resting the heart of a scientist among the ancient stones, France paid tribute to her great son.
