Saint-Louis en l’Ile, first built in 1622, is on the main street of the quaint Ile Saint Louis across the bridge behind Notre-Dame. It’s a little jewel (bijou)—small and simple but glamorous, too. And—a bonus—when I wandered in one Sunday afternoon, I was treated to an organ practice (until they finally closed the church and asked me to leave). 
But before they kicked me out, I discovered one piece of history that the parishioners are most proud. Pius VII was the Pope from 1800 until his death in 1823. Often in conflict with Napoleon Bonaparte and even held by him as a prisoner at one time, the pontiff traveled to Paris in 1804 for Napoleon’s coronation (you can see David’s depiction of this event in the Louvre and the Pope's starring role in the painting). While Pius stayed in Paris for several months, he celebrated the first of twelve masses at this church during Lent. There’s a picture of him in a painting (also done by Napoleon’s chief painter, David) in the parish.
