Saint Lawrence Church

You’re standing in front of one of Saint-Étienne’s oldest landmarks: the Grand’Église, as it’s known locally. Officially, it’s the Church of Saint-Laurent–Saint-Étienne, a double dedication to Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr and patron of the city, and Saint Lawrence, famed for his courage… and for his gruesome death, burned alive on a gridiron in Rome. This church has a unique feature: look at its southern side, it seems oddly “cut off.” That’s because it once stood flush against the city’s medieval walls. It wasn’t until 1642, after the fortifications were torn down, that the first chapel could be built on that side. But what truly sets this church apart is that it has survived everything, religious wars, looting, even the French Revolution. In 1795, it was used as a forge to produce gun barrels, and you can still spot traces of that industrial past on the tympanum above the entrance. That same year, it was restored by Pierre-Antoine Dalgabio, the architect behind the city’s redevelopment, including the grid plan of the center. Inside, two works are worth seeking out. First, the “Entombment” sculpture by Guillaume Fontaine from 1622, affectionately nicknamed by locals “the Good Lord’s Tomb.” And then the famous “Vœu de Ville,” a painting offered by townspeople in 1629 to thank divine providence after a devastating plague. The church also sheltered remarkable figures, like Guy Colombet, parish priest from 1664 to 1708, who led what was then the third most populous parish in France and founded the city’s first free schools. His remains still rest here, a reminder of the days when the church was at the heart of civic life. Today, the Grand’Église stands as the only example of Forez Gothic architecture in Saint-Étienne, a true journey back in time, right in the heart of Place Boivin.