Built between 1860 and 1871, Église Saint-Augustin de Paris consists of a unique combination of various architectural styles, such as Romanesque, Gothic and Byzantine. This magnificent, eclectic temple was also the first church in Paris constructed on a metal frame covered with stone. It includes a 80-metre-high dome as well as rich decoration.
The church was designed by Victor Baltard, the architect of Les Halles. It is 100 metres in long and has a dome 80 metres in height and 25 meters in diameter. Saint-Augustin’s facade features the Four Evangelists above arcades, and above them the Twelve Apostles and a rosette window. Its stained glass windows depict bishops and martyrs of the 1st centuries, and cast-iron columns within feature polychrome angels. In front of the church there is also a statue of Joan of Arc, which was erected by Paul Dubois in 1896. During the Second Empire the area where the current church is located was undergoing considerable construction work and demographic movement. The Prefect of Paris, Baron Haussmann was responsible for much of the design of the layout of Paris’s rectilinear avenues, which called for prestigious edifices.