Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés

The oldest church in Paris is anchored by a thick, square bell tower that has stood since the eleventh century. Originally, this was the heart of a powerful Benedictine abbey that owned most of the land on the Left Bank. King Childebert the First founded the monastery here in five hundred fifty-eight to house a piece of the True Cross. That relic brought pilgrims and wealth, and eventually the tomb of the philosopher René Descartes, who remains buried beneath the stone floor.