Tour Saint-Jacques, Paris, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

The Tour Saint-Jacques is a 52-metre Flamboyant Gothic bell tower on the Right Bank of Paris, near Châtelet and the Seine. It is all that remains of the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, which was pulled down after the Revolution. Today it stands alone in a small public garden, a listed national monument and a landmark with unusual stories attached.

The story behind it

The church was known as Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, or Saint James of the butchers, after the powerful butchers' guild of the nearby Les Halles district. It also stood at a starting point in Paris for pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The name refers to Saint James the apostle. It has nothing to do with Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Templars, although the mix-up is common.

The church was sold as building material in the 1790s and demolished, but the tower was kept because its preservation was a condition of the sale. In the early 19th century it served as a shot tower for making lead ammunition, and the city later bought it back. The church was also linked to Nicolas Flamel, the scribe later famed as an alchemist, who was a patron and was buried there. His tombstone was taken during the Revolution and can now be seen in the Musée de Cluny across the Seine.

What to look for

• The dense Flamboyant Gothic stonework on each face of the tower, with tall niches, pinnacles and carved detail climbing toward the top.
• The statue of Saint James at the summit, which gives the tower its name and watches over the rooftops.
• The statue of Blaise Pascal at the base, a reminder of the scientist's link to the site.
• The contrast between the lone medieval tower and the busy modern streets and Haussmann-era buildings around it.

Tips for your visit

• The garden around the tower is a public square, so you can see the tower from outside at no cost. Check current opening hours and whether tower visits are offered before planning to go up.
• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the tower and square, longer if you sit in the garden.
• Soft morning or late afternoon light shows the carved stone best, and the square is calmer early in the day.
• It is close to Châtelet, the Seine, Notre-Dame and the Hôtel de Ville, so it fits easily into a longer walk.

See it on a quest

Mysterious Paris: The Order of the Knights Templar brings you to the tower on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. It suits anyone curious about the medieval legends of Paris, and one ticket covers the whole group.

Mystical Paris: A History of Magic also passes the tower, which fits its link with Nicolas Flamel. You walk between the stops at your own pace, hear the story of each place on the spot and solve a puzzle there. One ticket covers the whole group.