Paris Saint Roch

The site originally housed a modest chapel dedicated to Saint Susanna in the early 16th century. It was later rebuilt into a larger church in 1577 by Étienne Dinocheau.

The current structure’s foundation stone was laid in 1653 by Louis XIV, in the presence of Anne of Austria. Construction unfolded over nearly a century, chiefly guided by Jacques Lemercier (1653–1690) oversaw the nave and choir.

Jules Hardouin-Mansart (from 1701): designed the remarkably ornate elliptical chapelle de la Vierge (1706-1710) topped with a painted dome by Jean-Baptiste Pierre. Robert de Cotte and his son Jules-Robert de Cotte: crafted the two-tiered façade (1736–1739) inspired by Rome’s Church of the Gesù.

Its lower tier features Doric columns, while the top tier boasts Corinthian columns and a prominent triangular pediment. The church was completed around 1722, though finishing touches extended into the 1740s.