Saint-Merri

Saint-Merri stands right beside the Centre Pompidou and was built in the early 16th century in Flamboyant style on the site of a 7th-century chapel where Saint Mederic was buried around 700. The church holds the oldest surviving bell in Paris, cast in 1331. In the 19th century, Saint-Merri was the setting of the republican uprising of June 1832, immortalised by Victor Hugo in Les Miserables. Today the church is separated from Beaubourg by the Stravinsky Fountain with its playful coloured sculptures by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, a striking contrast between Gothic piety and postmodern wit. Concerts are held here regularly.