On one of my last days in Paris, walking from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower, I happened on the church of Saint-Pierre-de-Chaillot, not far from the Seine.
I was taken by its ‘sideways’ placement, with a monumental entrance with massive reliefs set in a concrete wall with a concrete tower at the left. 
But I said ‘appears,’ and that’s because in reality, this is the front of the church, with an unusually arranged geometric church laid out behind it, with all the usual elements: nave, choir, chapels. Here’s an aerial view from Google Maps. The facade is at right, facing Avenue Marceau.
The church was built in the 1930s, replacing a 17th-century church of the same name that was razed in the 1920s. That church was lined up more or less the opposite way: Its facade faced Avenue de Chaillot. Guy de Maupassant’s funeral was held in the old church in 1893, and Marcel Proust’s in 1922.
I didn’t have a chance to see the interior; the church was closed when I passed by and there wasn’t another opportunity before my departure. But it definitely has a place on the agenda for my next visit: The description I found makes it sound like an amazing experience waiting for me!
And, if you’re curious, as I was, about the original church, PortMoresby was kind enough to find these two images on old postcards…
The facade seen here is the original, facing Rue de Chaillot.
And, it turns out, that there were even earlier plans for replacing the old church; Eugene Violet-le-Duc, known for his restorations of Gothic churches, drew up a plan in 1866.
