Saint Vladimir the Great Cathedral

On the site of the temple since the 13th century stood a parish church of Saint Peter, which was destroyed in the 17th century. In 1613, Queen Marie de' Medici laid the first stone of the new temple, which, upon completion of construction, was transferred to the Brotherhood of Saint John of God, a monastic order that cared for the sick. Over time, next to the church, the monks built a hospital for the poor, which expanded and evolved over the centuries. The revolution drove out the monks, but the hospital became a center of medical education. The chapel was adapted to the needs of the hospital. In 1799, a clinical school was opened there, and in 1850, its premises housed a medical academy.

In the 1930s, the hospital was demolished, and in its place, the medical faculty of the Sorbonne was established. The church building was not destroyed, as its facade was listed as a historical monument. On the facade, one can see the figure of the ancient god of medicine, Asclepius, surrounded by lictors, a rare example of decor from the era of the French Revolution.

This place is also associated with the name of Symon Petliura, who died on May 25, 1926, after a fatal injury, in the "Charité" hospital, where a Ukrainian cathedral is now located. In the church, there are two memorial plaques in Ukrainian and French, reminding of this event.

In 1937, a Greek Catholic mission was founded, which in 1943 was granted a church on Boulevard Saint-Germain. The church was consecrated by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris on May 9, 1943, in honor of Saint Vladimir the Great. The current iconostasis of the cathedral was created in 1971 by the artist Emelian Mazurik.

Since 1954, there has been an ordinariate for Eastern Rite Catholics in France, which initially included Ukrainian Greek Catholics. In 1960, Pope John XXIII, with the assistance of Archbishop Ivan Buchko, established the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians in France and appointed the first exarch in the person of Bishop Volodymyr Malanchuk with the center in Paris. The Cathedral of Saint Vladimir the Great in Paris was proclaimed the cathedral of the exarchate. Later, in 1983, Bishop Mykhailo Hrynchyshyn became the exarch.

In 1969, a square named after Taras Shevchenko was arranged by the church, and in 1978, a bust of him by Mykhailo Lysenko was installed here.

Every week, about 250–300 people participate in the services at the Cathedral of Saint Vladimir the Great in Paris, with more than a thousand on major holidays. Services are conducted in Ukrainian and French.

The church has a cathedral choir, icon painting and catechetical schools, as well as a Ukrainian Saturday school. The church organizes joint celebrations of religious and Ukrainian national holidays and memorable dates.

The Sisters of the Servants of the Immaculate Virgin Mary work at the parish, teaching children catechism, visiting the sick and people in need, and assisting priests in their pastoral activities.

The rector of the cathedral is Priest Mykhailo Romaniuk.