CONSERVATOIRE ARTS ET METIERS, Saint Nicolas

The great parish church of Saint-Nicolas des Champs is literally right next to the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers; at one time it was simply the outer chapel of the monastery complex, and then it subsequently grew in its own right. This church has also had a long and troubled history: the French Revolution even transformed it into a secular "Temple of Marriage and Loyalty" where civil weddings were held.

As you can see, however, its appearance is still impressive and spectacular with its rich façade flanked by a tall bell tower and its luminous interior with rows of pillars and flamboyant Gothic vaults. But if you look closely after the seventh bay, the Gothic style is strangely replaced with a Classic style: grooved columns and arches frame the majestic seventeenth-century altar loaded with paintings and sculptures. Yet at a glance the whole is consistent, demonstrating once again how Paris has always been able to renew itself, never abandoning change and never recanting itself....