Nothing now remains of the Abbey of Ste. Genevieve except the tall early
Gothic tower seen to the right near the end of the Pantheon, and rising
above the modern buildings of the Lycee Henri IV. The singularly
picturesque and strangely-mingled church across the little square is St.
Etienne-du-Mont, which we now proceed to visit.

Stand in the left-hand corner of the Place to examine the facade. The
church was begun (1517) as late Gothic; but before it was finished, the
Renaissance style had come into fashion, and the architects accordingly
jumbled the two in the most charming manner. The incongruity here only
adds to the beauty. The quaintly original Renaissance portal bears a
dedication to St. Stephen the Protomartyr, beneath which is a relief of
his martyrdom, with a Latin inscription, "Stone destroyed the temple of
the Lord," i.e., Stephen, "Stone rebuilds it." Right and left of the
portal are statues of Sts. Stephen and Genevieve, whose monograms also
appear on the doors. In the pediment is the usual representation of the
Resurrection and Last Judgment. Above it, the rose window, on either side
of which, in accordance with Italian rather than with French custom
(showing Italian Renaissance influence) are the Angel of the Annunciation
and the Madonna receiving his message. In the third story, a gable-end.
Singular tower to the left, with an additional round turret, a relic of
the earlier Gothic building. The whole facade (17th century) represents
rather late Renaissance than transitional architecture.

The interior is the most singular, and in some ways the most picturesque,
in Paris--a Gothic church, tricked out in Renaissance finery. The nave is
flanked by aisles, which are divided from it by round pillars, capped by a
singular balustrade or gallery with low, flat arches, simulating a
triforium. The upper arches are round, and the decorations Renaissance;
but the vaulting, both of nave and aisles, with its pendant keystones,