Saint-Augustin Church, built by Paris-born Victor Baltard between 1860 and 1871, was the first church in Paris whose structure is entirely in iron and covered with stone. (It replaced an old chapel that was also dedicated to Saint Augustine.) Monsieur Baltard took inspiration from the Roman and Byzantine arts not to mention the Gothic works to set the church exactly in a triangle formed by Haussmann’s Grand Boulevards. Baltard’s most popular achievement, however, was the buildings of les Halles (the famous Paris market), another structure that was built with stone and steel (since torn down). 
The church is known for its organ, one of the first to be powered by electricity. It also has a very interesting altar located at the top of a steep flight of stairs and topped with a beautiful and graceful baldachino (reminded me of the altar in the Pope’s church in Rome, San Giovanni in Laterano).Suz and I attended mass here the night before she went home—on our way to place de la Concorde for Suz to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle one more time.
