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Saint-Jacques Tower
The Saint-Jacques Tower is a 52-metre-high Flamboyant Gothic tower, built between 1509 and 1523 as the bell tower of the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. It is the sole surviving remnant of that church, demolished in 1797 during the French Revolution. Its rich sculptural decoration includes gargoyles, chimeras, dragons, scallop shells (a symbol of Saint James) and nineteen 2.5-metre statues of saints on the facades. On the upper terrace, four statues represent the Evangelists: the lion (Mark), the bull (Luke), the eagle (John) and the angel (Matthew). A 3-metre statue of Saint James the Great crowns the tower. At the base stands a statue of Blaise Pascal, commemorating his experiments on atmospheric pressure carried out in 1648. The tower has housed a weather station since 1891, run by the Montsouris Observatory. It was restored by Théodore Ballu between 1854 and 1858, and again between 2006 and 2009. It has been classified as a historic monument since 1862 and as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998, as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. The monument is currently closed to visitors due to renovation works, but its exterior and its landscaped surroundings remain of great interest.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to visit Saint-Jacques Tower?
Visiting Saint-Jacques Tower is free.
How much time do you need for Saint-Jacques Tower?
Allow about 45 min for the visit.
Source: toursaintjacques.fr