The Tour Saint-Jacques (French pronunciation: [tuʁ sɛ̃ ʒak], ‘Saint James’s Tower’) is a monument located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France, at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli with Rue Nicolas Flamel. This 52-metre (171 ft) Flamboyant Gothic tower is all that remains of the former 16th-century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie (“Saint James of the butchers”), which was demolished in 1797, during the French Revolution, leaving only the tower.[2]

What remains of the destroyed church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie is now considered a national historic landmark.

History
Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie church on the map of Truschet and Hoyau (1550)
The Way of St. James
The tower’s rich decoration reflects the wealth of its patrons, the wholesale butchers of the nearby Les Halles market. The masons in charge were Jean de Felin, Julien Ménart and Jean de Revier. It was built in 1509 to 1523,[3] during the reign of King Francis I. With a dedication to Saint James the Greater, the ancient church[4] and its landmark tower welcomed pilgrims setting out on the road that led to Tours and headed for the Way of St James, which led to the major pilgrimage destination of Santiago de Compostela. A relic of the saint preserved in the church linked it the more strongly and in modern times occasioned its listing in 1998 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO among the sites and structures marking the chemins de Compostelle, the pilgrimage routes in France that led like tributaries of a great stream headed towards Santiago in the northwest of Spain.

Picturesque garden surrounding Saint-Jacques Tower featuring walking paths & tree-shaded benches.

Location talks!

Square of Saint-Jacques Tower

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Square of Saint-Jacques Tower

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