Explorer Saint-Denis

The Basilica of Saint-Denis, a former abbey church north of Paris and a cathedral since 1966, has a choir completed in 1144 under Abbot Suger that marks the beginning of Gothic architecture. Its royal necropolis holds more than 70 tomb effigies and monuments of French kings and queens, from Dagobert to Louis XVIII, and its north tower and spire are being rebuilt.

The Sacré-Cœur is a Roman Catholic basilica on the hill of Montmartre, built between 1875 and 1914 in a Romano-Byzantine style from travertine stone that whitens with rain. Its dome can be climbed for views over Paris, and the interior holds a large mosaic of Christ above the choir.

A Catholic parish church on Place de la Madeleine in Paris's 8th arrondissement, built in the form of a Greek temple and ringed by Corinthian columns. Planned under Louis XV, redesigned by Napoleon as a monument to his armies, and finished as a church only in 1842, it holds frescoes and sculptures by 19th-century French artists.

Saint-Roch is a Baroque and classical parish church on Rue Saint-Honoré in central Paris, built between 1653 and 1740 and dedicated to Saint Roch. Its long nave passes several side chapels before reaching an oval sanctuary behind the high altar. The church also hosts evening concerts under the name Les Nuits de Saint-Roch.

The Sainte-Chapelle is a Gothic royal chapel built in the 13th century within the former Palais de la Cité, on the Île de la Cité. It was commissioned by King Louis IX to house relics of the Passion and is known for stained-glass windows that rise nearly 15 metres. The chapel now stands within the Paris Palais de Justice complex.

Notre-Dame de Paris is a Gothic Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité, built between 1163 and 1345. A 2019 fire destroyed its roof and spire; the cathedral reopened in December 2024 after restoration. Visitors can see its flying buttresses, rose windows, sculpted portals and the Great Organ.

A mosque in Paris's 5th arrondissement, completed in 1926 in the Moorish Revival style around a courtyard modelled on the Alhambra in Granada. The oldest mosque in mainland France, it holds prayer rooms, a library, a garden, a hammam, a gift shop and a restaurant.