St. Stephen's Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It is located at 7 rue Georges-Bizet, in the

16th arrondissement of Paris The 16th arrondissement of Paris (; ) is the westernmost of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. Located on the city's Right Bank, it is adjacent to the 17th and 8th arrondissements to the northeast, as well as to the ...

. It was consecrated on 22 December 1895.

History

Before the church was consecrated, there had been at least two attempts at creating a permanent Greek Orthodox place of worship in Paris. The church was commissioned by

Demetrius Stefanovich Schilizzi Demetrius Stefanovich Schilizzi (many spellings; ; 1839–1893) was an Ottoman-born Greek banker in London and Paris, and later a steamship owner in Constantinople. He was also the acting Italian consul in Calcutta for some time starting in 1864, a ...

, designed by architect Émile Vaudremer, and built by Guillotin. The purchase price of the site and construction cost amounted to F1,630,000 in total. The inside walls were decorated by Charles Lameire and the marble iconostasis by

Ludwig Thiersch Ludwig Thiersch (April 12, 1825 in Munich – May 10, 1909"Thiersch", ''Meyers Konversations-Lexikon'') was a German painter, primarily of mythological and religious subjects and especially of ecclesiastical art, also influential in Greece. Ear ...

. Léon Avenet worked on the stained glass. People for whom funeral offices were held in this church include

Charles Debbas Charles Debbas (; 16 April 1884 – 22 August 1935) was a Greek Orthodox Lebanese political figure. He was the first President of Lebanon (before independence) and served from 1 September 1926 to 2 January 1934, under the French Mandate of Lebano ...

(August 1935),

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos (, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Cretan State, Cretan Greeks, Greek statesman and prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movement. As the leader of the Liberal Party (Greece), Liberal Party, Venizelos ser ...

(21 March 1936) and

Maria Callas Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...

(20 September 1977). The wedding of

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

and

Théo Sarapo Theophanis Lamboukas (Greek: Θεοφάνης Λαμπουκάς; 26 January 1936 – 28 August 1970), professionally known as Théo Sarapo (), was a French singer and actor. Biography Sarapo was born in Paris to Greek parents. He scored a ...

was celebrated there also on 9 October 1962.

Gallery

Greek Orthodox Church @ Paris (31546764300).jpg Greek Orthodox Church @ Paris (31882666436).jpg Stained glass @ Greek Orthodox Church @ Paris (31110575013).jpg

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Paris Greek Orthodox cathedrals in Europe Monuments historiques of Paris Churches completed in 1895 16th arrondissement of Paris Cathedrals in Paris Eastern Orthodox church buildings in Paris Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France 19th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings 19th-century churches in France