Portal of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

Edgar Chahine

The Church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois is a 7th century church built originally as a parish for the inhabitants of the neighboring Louvre Palace. Having been updated several times, its current iteration features extraordinary carved stone figures, a rose window and encircling balustrade, and other details added in the 15th century. It has been the subject of many artists’ works, including of Monet.

Edgar Chahine captures a crowd of villagers, many of whom are injured or ailing, standing at the famed front porch awaiting alms. Chahine often strove to show the juxtaposition between the poor and the landscape of wealth, whether it be found in divine architecture or city scenes. In this somewhat small format he manages to retain the elegance of the architectural details while also giving the faces of the villagers equal attention.