Saint-Jacques Tower
- "Orphan tower, what has become of the rest? The start of a pilgrim's journey. Shreds of memories hang from the chimeras beaks: This one, pressure of the atmosphere. The other, alchemy."
- ―A riddle by Nostradamus describing Saint-Jacques Tower.[src]
Saint-Jacques Tower (French: Tour Saint-Jacques) is a gothic tower in Paris.
The tower was initially part of the Church of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, the starting point for the religious pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The alchemist and patron of the building, Nicolas Flamel, was also originally buried under the floor of the church.
When the church was torn down, the flamboyant tower built under the reign of Francis I of France was preserved. Since the tower was formerly inside the nave, and thus invisible from the outside, no ornamental decorations can be found around its base.
Saint-Jacques Tower also plays an important role in the history of science. In 1648, the mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal conducted experiments on atmospheric pressure atop the tower.