the laureates concert
and the Award ceremony
Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church
The present Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church is built on the site of an old abbey founded in 558 by the Merovingian King Childebert I. With its mosaic floor, marble columns, gilding on the walls and copper-clad roof, the church has long been nicknamed "Saint-Germain-le-Doré". It was rebuilt in the 10th century, making it one of the oldest churches in Paris and becoming one of the first Gothic buildings in the world. The church has been listed as a historic monument since 1862. Its furnishings include several funerary monuments, religious statues, stained glass and classified paintings. André Isoir has been the organist since the Haerpfer-Erman factory built it in 1973.