This site was originally a Benedictine abbey founded by the Merovingian king Childebert I in the 6th century.
The church is all that remains today. The Romanesque tower and nave were rebuilt in the 9th century: the Vikings had pillaged the building two centuries previously. Having become a parish in the 17th century, it is one of the oldest churches in the capital and now regularly hosts classical music concerts. The church is named after Germain, bishop of Paris in the 6th century, who was one of its administrators.