Over a million people were living in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century, when the Blessed Sacrament Congregation and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament were established by Peter Julian Eymard. It was a period of great upheaval. The city of Paris, once held by the Romans, was in the process of being transformed by the forces of modernisation.

During the Second Empire (1852-70), under the influence of the planner Georges-Eugène Haussmann, much of the old city was rebuilt. Slums and narrow streets were cleared, and whole blocks of buildings were demolished to make way for the magnificent avenues and boulevards that characterise Paris today.

Significance
Although St Peter Julian Eymard was born and raised in the mountains in the south of France, it is important to recognise that the birthplace of his life’s work was in the vast metropolis of nineteenth century Paris.

Because Eymard was originally located in one of the poorer parts of Paris, some of the physical heritage associated with his early work did not survive the rebuilding of the city. But for the visitor or pilgrim interested in discovering Eymardian places, there is still much to see:

• Boulevard du Montparnasse
• Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
• Chapelle du Corpus-Christi
• Église Saint-Sulpice
• Faubourg Saint-Jacques
• Musée Rodin
• Notre-Dame des Victoires
• Rue Leclerc
• Sainte-Chapelle
• Villa Chateaubriand

Paris – City [French]

Paris – Tourism [English]

Paris – Tourism [French]

VIDEO LINKS
Paris France [Video (10:00): Watch on YouTube]