Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre

Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre stands in Paris’s fifth arrondissement, near the Seine and Square René Viviani. This Melkite Greek Catholic church began in the twelfth century.

Its architecture combines Romanesque forms with early Gothic elements, including original columns and a twelfth-century choir. The twelfth-century choir preserves an early Gothic character.

The site began as a sixth-century oratory connected with a Merovingian hospice for pilgrims. The church later served Parisian students and scholars. Its parish community included Dante and Thomas Aquinas through its association with Notre-Dame’s cathedral school and the University of Paris.

The French Revolution turned the church into a salt depot. After restoration, the Melkite community added an iconostasis and icons, adapting the interior for its worship.

Several original columns remain visible inside the church. The west front sits slightly off true west, resembling Notre-Dame de Paris and possibly following the midsummer sunset.

Visitors can use wheelchair access at this Parisian church. Square René Viviani shares the block and holds Paris’s Lucky Tree, a locust planted centuries ago.