Église Saint-Sulpice

As you make your way along this route through the 6th arrondissement, take a good look at this church. Notice anything odd? It is definitely not symmetrical.

Construction began in 1646 and took 134 years, passing through the hands of six different architects. The south tower stands five meters shorter than the north tower, because funding dried up during the Revolution and the work was simply never resumed. That lopsided silhouette has been the church's trademark ever since.

Now, if you step inside, you will notice a copper line running across the floor. Many visitors photograph it believing it to be the mysterious "Rose Line" from The Da Vinci Code. The church has actually hung up a notice in English explaining that this is a gnomon, built in 1727 to calculate the sun's position during the equinoxes and determine the exact date of Easter. No Rose Line. No ancient pagan temple. The church felt it necessary to say so directly, and people take the photo anyway.

Victor Hugo married here. The organ behind you contains 6,588 pipes and ranks among the largest in the world. Two centuries of construction, six architects, one famously wonky tower, and still people come for a fictional plotline.