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West entrance, 15th century

"Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois is, like so many of Paris's ancient religious buildings, a complex agglomeration of parts from different periods, in this instance spanning from the 12C to the 16C.

 

The west-entrance carvings are the most interesting remnants of the 13C church, and very few examples survive in Paris, most having been destroyed during the Revolution. The west-end doorways retain their 30 archivolt figures, which include angels, wise and foolish virgins and the 12 apostles, as well as the 6 statues adorning the jambs of the of the central opening."

 

Statues on the left: Queen Ultrogothe and King Childebert I, the church's supposed founders, (or King Robert and Queen Constance) and Saint Vincent, 15C.

 

Statues on the right: St. Germain, St. Genevieve, and an angel, 15C.

 

On the trumeau of the central door: a Madonna holding the Child Jesus, 19C.

 

The central doorway's tympanum carving and the original center jamb, which featured a statue of Saint Germain, were removed in the 17C to facilitate processions; the tympanum is lost, but Saint Germain survived and can be seen inside the church.

 

Paris. 2013

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Uploaded on May 14, 2020
Taken on April 28, 2013