This wonderful guide to Paris takes readers on a journey through Paris’ sacred places and their rich history. The book is divided into parts of the city with each featured sacred places having their mini-chapter. There is usually a brief description of the location and then something about the location’s history. As the history of Paris is long, some of the sections focus on history from the Middle Ages while others tell of Resistance fighters in WWII. After the history section there is a list of points of interest nearby that varies between shops, cafes, and tourist stops. While the book is mostly focused on locations in Paris itself, it does include Saint Denis and Auvers-sur-Oise, which are accessible by train or car.

I use the phrase “sacred place” to describe the locations in the book because it it includes Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, and Muslim mosques. I’ve been lucky enough to visit Paris five times and while I’ve been able to visit all the major churches, many of which were detailed in this book, I have not taken the time to visit the synagogues and mosques, which I now must do on my next trip. I really appreciated that Susan included personal stories from her time in Paris, such as her last visit to Notre Dame not knowing that it would burn a few months later or running from the area during the 2015 terrorist attacks. It made me reflect on my experiences traveling the city, especially my most recent trip in March 2020 when the world entered lockdown. This book made me really really want to return to the city that I love so much and I will 100% be referring to this guide on my next trip.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Guidebook of Paris's places of worship written by experienced guidebook author. In addition to the history of the featured church, this guidebook provides a plethora of other information: hours, directions, website, what else is in the neighborhood, and recommended reading. This guidebook is fantastic and made me want to fly to Paris immediately. I am grateful for receiving this ARC, except for the fact that there were no illustrations, which I gather from other reviews, are beautiful. A perfect book for those planning to visit Paris or only dreaming about it. It also presented religious history in easily digestible chapters. I cannot recommend this enough. #SacredParis #NetGalley

I am not sure who the audience is for this book. It is not quite a guidebook because it is a tad too academic, so I did not enjoy it. I love history and I love Paris. I have been to a few of the churches featured in the book, yet I still didn’t find the writing compelling or interesting enough to read, not even the sections in which those churches were discussed. I tried reading this over the course of several months, but it is not for me. It wasn’t entertaining; there were no anecdotal stories; and I could read only so many descriptions of stained glass windows.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#SacredParis #NetGalley

Paris—Sacred Sites

This Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque is illuminating, fascinating and the sort of guide essential to growing our understanding of the history and beliefs behind the architecture in the City of Light. Hopefully that light will continue to shine. Not only an educational tool, but a tell all about the location and travel advice for each site.

A St Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I have visited Paris many times, have seen most of the places discussed in the book, and have read many books about Paris — yet I found some new and valuable information in this book. Cahill covers well-known churches and smaller, less-visited sites of worship. And she goes beyond Christian sacred sites. For example, the table of contents lists two synagogues and the Grand Mosque of Paris, which was treated with extensive insightful commentary. And in some of the discussions of Christian sites Cahill mentions pre-Christian temples that had been built over by the church. Despite the wealth of detail, some omissions surprised me. For example, in the discussion of the Musee de Cluny, why not mention the Roman ruins — including at least one statue of a Roman god — or the recreated medieval garden? Both would fit the theme of the sacred and it wouldn’t take much space to include those delightful elements. In the discussion of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Cahill referred to a story about two Huguenots caught at a secret Protestant service, but she did not tell us what happened to them because it is so gory. Though Cahill referred readers to another book, this reader would have preferred to know what happened without having to consult another source. 
 I was also surprised by the personal tone of some sections, which read more like a memoir than a guidebook. Cahill’s views were sometimes disconcerting, especially a remark about the French Revolutionary regime. 
 One book cannot possibly cover every interesting aspect of Paris; Cahill’s book is a valuable addition to the guidebooks on Paris. Besides the main commentary, she also includes short bibliographies for each section and practical details for a visit (such as metro stops and places of interest near the site). For anyone interested in the history and culture of Paris, this book is worth reading. 
 NOTE: This review is based on an ARC from netgalley that did not include the photographs; I think with the photographs, the book would be even better.

I've never visited France, but it's been on my list, and when I do get there, Cahill's _Sacred Paris_ will certainly be on my list to revisit.

Part memoir (at times, sharing of her own experiences with the locations), part guidebook, part reading list, and part history, this book provides something for everyone. I do believe the ARC I received would've benefited from pictures being included--that's half the appeal, and I'll admit I was disappointed not to see any! But, don't let that stop you from picking up a copy; I understand they will be in the final release, as they should be. :)

I can't say I came to some of the same conclusions as Cahill with some of the readings or quotes, but appreciated her take on them nonetheless. My favorite part of the read was the related reading for each location.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Wow, I really enjoyed this book. As someone who has visited Paris many times, I found this book to be useful in finding religious places I was interested in but have never visited. I have visited Notre Dame, Sacre Couer and Saint Chappelle multiple times (and they are all wonderful) but thus guide gave me some option for new places to visit, some in neighborhoods like the Quarter Latin, that I have spent a lot of time in. This is definitely the kind of book that repeat visitors to Paris can use to trace new paths around the city.

This is a great travel for anyone interested in architectural history, particulary of the Catholic churches in France. The other religions have a few representatives but book covers the history of the religious conflicts that impacted architecture. For example, I have Huguenot ancestry which I didn't know much about but I learned that the Huguenots were Protestants.

Pros: I've had the opportunity to visit Paris several times, but this book reminded me that there are always more places in Paris to visit. I realized that during my previous visits, I'd only toured a handful of sacred spots--Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris, Sainte-Chapelle, and Sacre-Coeur. I have yet to spend time at non-Catholic sacred places like the Grand Mosque, Saint-Jean Lutheran, Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and Grande Synagogue de la Victorie. The Basilica of Saint-Denis has also been on my future travel list for years. I think this means another trip to Paris is in my future . . . after the pandemic is over.

This book is a fantastic travel guide, broken down by area of the city, with detailed descriptions of the featured sacred places and inclusions of nearby attractions (and their days and hours of operation) and further reading suggestions.

Cons: The description stated that this was a beautifully illustrated guide to Paris, but the version I read had no illustrations. This might be because it is an ARC, but I would have loved to see the illustrations!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this book.

This is an amazing guide to the churches, synagogues and Grand Mosque in Paris. I've been lucky enough to visit several of the churches included in this book. Some are major tourist destinations like Notre Dame and Sainte-Chappelle and others are smaller but still have long histories. Susan Cahill gives the location, metro stop and hours, if available for the location. Then she includes 2-3 pages of information about each church. She might tell why it was built, or what is historically important. Or she'll describe it architecturally or mention the art inside. I like that when talking of a Protestant church she gives context to that religion in the very Catholic France. She includes Vincent Van Gogh's Montmartre in d'Auver-sur Oise (outside Paris). That section focuses on Van Gogh. I've visited there doing exactly what she describes and envisioning Van Gogh's last months. The church itself wouldn't be memorable except that Van Gogh painted it. This is more in depth than a basic guide book in its focus. I first time visitor to France would want a more traditional guide. But this would be a great addition to a guide book or for someone who enjoys a focus on churches. I was in Paris in March of 2020 and left the city as the world shut down for Covid19. I can't wait to return and now have some new churches to seek out on my visit. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (Note: I did not comment on photos because my ARC did not have any. But according to the description the final book will have photos included.)

Susan Cahill shares, once again, her knowledge and love for Paris. Being one who also loves Paris, I thoroughly enjoy Ms.. Cahill's extensive research and the sharing of her knowkedge. Her voice is pleasant and professional yet personal enough to make her readers feel as though she's sharing secrets. Well done!