The site is located on Montagne Sainte-Geneviève on a plot that belonged to the canons of Saint-Marcel.

[1] In 1158, the building was attested as a parish chapel dedicated to Saint Hilary.

[1][2] The small parish had numerous bookshops —up to 14 on Rue Saint-Hilaire [fr] in 1571.

[1] During the French Revolution, the church was closed in 1790 and the parish was suppressed in 1793.

[1] A drawing of the church shows that the bell tower was made of carpentry with no masonry.