Saint-Etienne

Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne |Notre-Dame

bibliography

230' long x 115' wide

Basic Info
Dates	Replaced in the mid-twelfth century.
Material	Stone, mosaic
Significance and Basic Concepts	The cathedral of St-Etienne incorporated building materials from the Gallo-Roman period of Paris' history. The design of the cathedral may relate to Saint Peters - if it was indeed a five aisle church and not three aisle with porticus.
Patron Saint	Saint Etienne

building

St-Etienne abutted the city wall by the Seine. The Bishop's palace was east of the church and the Chapter house stood on the north side. Behind the Bishop's Palace stood Notre-Dame, a small church for travelers, pilgrims and the sick.

The remains of St-Etienne suggest that the Cathedral either had five aisles or three aisles with porticus. If St-Etienne had five aisles the plan may have referenced St-Peters of Rome. The builders reused Roman building material. In some instances, such as the columns, this reuse would be observable. In other instances the reuse was not visible. The stones of the Roman monument, Pilier des Nautes, were reused as foundations stones and only discovered during the 1710 excavations of the choir of Notre-Dame.*

8th c. arrangement
of Episcopal
buildings

decorative program

Saint-Etienne incorporated antique columns and mosaics.

historical context

Initially one of the principal Saints of Paris, Saint Etienne gradually ceded place to Saint Denis, Saint Genevieve and the Virgin. However, the story of Saint Etienne can still be viewed in the South Portal of Notre-Dame.

related objects

top