Saint-Jacques Tower

The Tour Saint-Jacques, in Paris

The Tour Saint-Jacques is an elegant isolated Gothic tower, a vestige of a former church and a stage of the roads of Compostela. The Paris audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this singular monument, which rises in the heart of the town, surrounded by a garden.

The Gothic bell tower of the pilgrims of Compostela

The Tour Saint-Jacques is one of the most singular monuments of Paris: a high and elegant tower of flamboyant Gothic style, which rises alone in the middle of a square, on the right bank. This tower is in reality the only vestige of a former church, the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, destroyed after the Revolution. Built in the sixteenth century, it was the bell tower of this sanctuary, richly adorned with sculptures and gargoyles. The church was an important starting point for the Parisian pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, which inscribes the tower in the great history of the pilgrimage roads. Later, the scholar Blaise Pascal conducted there famous experiments on gravity; a statue pays tribute to him at the foot of the tower. Surrounded by a pleasant garden, the Tour Saint-Jacques is an emblematic and unusual monument of Paris.

What to see

You admire the high flamboyant Gothic tower that rises alone in the middle of a square, the only vestige of the former church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, richly adorned with sculptures and gargoyles, a starting point of the pilgrims of Compostela, where Blaise Pascal conducted experiments on gravity. The Tour Saint-Jacques is an unusual monument of Paris. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Tour Saint-Jacques lies on the right bank, in the heart of Paris, reachable on foot and by public transport. It is surrounded by a public square freely accessible, from where you admire it; the climb of the tower, when it is offered, follows its own hours and conditions, which vary. It is best to check the arrangements before coming.

What is the Tour Saint-Jacques the vestige of in Paris?

It is the only vestige of the former church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, destroyed after the Revolution; this sixteenth-century Gothic bell tower was a starting point of the pilgrims of Compostela, and Blaise Pascal conducted there experiments on gravity.

Where is the Tour Saint-Jacques of Paris?

On the right bank, in the heart of Paris, in France.