Five places of worship to visit with children in and around Paris

Push a discreet portal from 19^e arrondissement of the capital and discover an Orthodox church with the air of a chalet, walk in the footsteps of Racine in a former Jansenist haunt of Yvelines, drink a tea at the Great Mosque, admire the ingenuity of Gustave Eiffel deployed in a Parisian synagogue… None need to be a believer to be touched by the grace of these places.

The Saint-Serge-de-Radonège church in Paris

There is nothing to suggest that such a green setting awaits us behind the green gate of 93, rue de Crimée, in the 19^e arrondissement. Quickly, the din of traffic fades as we go up a gravel driveway, leaving a small bookstore on our left. In front of us stands an ornate wooden porch colored green, red and gold. It looks like a cottage.

Formerly a German Lutheran church, confiscated during the First World War, the parish was acquired in 1924 by the Orthodox community of Paris, who were looking for a church for the many Russian refugees who arrived after the 1917 revolution. Today, Saint-Serge- de-Radonège is an important institute of Orthodox theology which has trained hundreds of priests.

The tranquility of the gardens is matched by the serenity of the interior of the church, decorated by the painter Dmitri Semionovitch Stelletski (1875-1947) in the Russian neo-Gothic style. On Sundays, you can enter and attend the service in silence. Listening to the monks sing in the middle of incense smoke leaves a magical memory for children.

The Great Mosque of Paris

The oldest of the metropolitan mosques, erected in homage to the Muslim fighters who died for France during the First World War, celebrated its hundredth anniversary in 2022. It is located right next to the Jardin des Plantes, and it is pleasant to go there with the children after a visit to the Grand Gallery of Evolution, at the National Museum of Natural History.

The thirty-three meter high minaret, in its Hispano-Moorish style, and its crenellated railing will directly evoke a world of fairy tales. Inside, they are fascinated by the calm of the prayer rooms, the fountains in the Andalusian gardens, the stucco and zellige decorations, the wrought iron chandeliers and the magnificently crafted cedar wood. To warm up at the end of the visit, a mint tea and small cakes in the tea room of the Great Mosque will delight the little ones.

You have 54.21% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.