Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Saint-Germain-des-Prés săN-zhĕrmăNˈ-dā-prā [key], historic abbey and church of Paris, on the left bank of the Seine. It was founded (6th cent.) by Childebert I; several Merovingian kings were buried there. Both church and abbey were several times destroyed; the present church, in Romanesque style, dates from the early 11th cent. The architect Pierre de Montreuil made some notable additions in the 13th cent., but they were destroyed in the French Revolution.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: French and Benelux Physical Geography