Tour Saint-Jacques: closed for works until 2027, history and access

Updated on October 8, 2026

The Tour Saint-Jacques, at 88 rue de Rivoli (4th arrondissement), is the bell tower of the former church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie, built between 1509 and 1523. It stands 54 metres high to its terrace, which offered a 360° view after about 300 steps. According to the City of Paris, it is closed to visits for works from 15 October 2025 to 31 December 2027, so you cannot currently climb to the top. You can still admire it from outside, between Châtelet and the Hôtel de Ville.

Highlights

A bell tower that survived

After the Revolution the church was sold as a stone quarry in 1797, on condition that its bell tower, the tallest on the Right Bank, was spared. The City of Paris bought it in 1836. Its terraces are decorated with statues of the four evangelists (lion, bull, eagle, angel), gargoyles and scallop shells.

Pascal and the weather

According to the City of Paris, Blaise Pascal carried out his atmospheric pressure experiments here in 1647-1648, and a meteorological station has been installed here since 1891. A statue of Pascal stands at the foot of the tower.

Practical info

Tips

No visit to the top is possible until the end of the works, announced for 31 December 2027; the reopening date is not specified, so check the City of Paris page before planning a ticket. The tower is one of the Paris starting points of the Camino de Santiago routes, listed by UNESCO in 1993. A few steps away, the Paris city hall and, on the Île de la Cité, the Sainte-Chapelle complete the walk.