 The Church of Saint Pierre is one of the oldest churches in Paris, dating from the beginning of the 12th century.
It is the only remainder of the old royal Benedictine convent of Montmartre, built in the 12th century by order of King Louis VI and his wife, Adelaide of Savoie. The Church was partitioned in 1134 and was hence able to receive both Benedictines and parishioners at the same time.
The Abbey of Montmartre owned a considerable amount of land which stretched far beyond the hill; the regular buildings of the "abbey above" consisted of around 13 hectares, including gardens and vineyards. The Abbess had control over the land in respect of laws and wine-press .
When the nuns established "down below" in 1686 they used some of the stones from the "abbey above" for the construction of their new monastery.
Restored by Sauvageot in 1905, the interior of the church has some beautiful contemporary stained glass windows by the master stained glass window maker Max Ingrand, and outside there are bronze doors dating from 1980.
Adjoining the Church of Saint Pierre, the small 17th century cemetery of the Martyr is home 80 tombs. | 
