SAINT MERRY Superior

Due south of the Pompidou Center is this small and stunning Gothic hideaway, once the presbytery of the adjacent St-Merry church. In its 17th-century stone interior you can gaze through stained glass, relax on a church pew, or lean back on a headboard recycled from an old Catholic confessional. With a massive hardwood table, fireplace, and high ceiling, the suite is fit for a royal council. Room 9 is bisected by stone buttresses still supporting the church. The Saint Merry's lack of an elevator and 21st-century temptations like TV are also in keeping with its ascetic past (and keeps the place monkishly quiet). 11 rooms, 1 suite. Room service, in-room safes, some minibars, laundry service, some pets allowed; no a/c, no TV in some rooms.