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Paris Historical Subdivision 01 - Introduction


Paris' ile de la Cité is the very reason this city exists where it does today. In the days of early man, the river flowing around us was much wider, a formidable swath of water that was a barrier to any hoping to cross it; in all the region the river was no narrower than in the straits to each side of this island. As a crossroads between the beaten path that developed there and the merchant highway that became the river to the region's first Celtic tribes, the ile de la Cité became a village inhabited by one of these, the Parisii. In them and their name, meaning "river boat" you have the origins of this city's name.

The Romans who conquered the above tribe to claim these lands from 52BC preferred the Left Bank as their place of habitation, but the ile de la Cite would be occupied once again from the fourth century when it became a naturally moated fort against the attacks of wesward-migrating Germanic tribes. The victorious leader of these, Clovis, would make Paris his capital and the island's roman residences his own. All of France's rulers from then until the mid-fourteenth century would have their palaces to the island's western end.

As for the rest of the island, if its centre had since even its origins had been a town proper and marketplace, its eastern end, beginning with a Roman temple to Jupiter, was concecrated to religion. Beginning with a third-century chapel dedicated to Saint-Etienne, the land to the east of today's petit-pont was filled with monestaries, churches and chapels, and by the twelfth century had become a walled village in itself called the "cloitre Notre-Dame". The island itself was connected to the mainland through two bridges: the first and most-used was the Petit-Pont spanning the southern Seine to the Rive Gauche, and the second, built over the centuries in two locations, was the Grand-Pont, a much longer connection to the rive droite.

In the mid fourteenth century the crown abandoned the island's palaces(island, abandon)) for the newer Louvre castle, leaving these to the royal Judicial and administative services. The next major changes here would be the transformations wrought by a certain Baron Haussmann (of who you will hear much of in these pages), his destruction of Paris' oldest existing city centre in the land between today's boulevard du Palais and rue d'Arcole. The same had reserved the same fate for the cloitre Notre-Dame to the north of the cathedral, but thanks to his early departure there are still some buildings there today that give us some idea of what middle-ages Paris looked like.


PROMENADE 0001: l'Ile de la Cité – Part I


0001-02

Depart – Square de Vert-Galant


We are looking downriver from the western tip of the Ile de la Cité, watching the river's quiet flow away from us. To our right, and to the right of the path of the river's current, is the part of the city that we will often refer to as its Rive Droite, to our left Paris' opposing Rive Gauche and in front of we see the spans of the city's many bridges across the river. This spot is peaceful as the sounds of shore traffic is far from this point, and that crossing the island behind us is dampened by the greenery of the park we are at the tip of.

To get here we had to walk down a good flight of stairs. This spot is the only in Paris to retain its original elevation: this was once the tip of two parallel islets extending from what could be considered to be the ile de la Cité mainland, and remained uninhabitable until the construction of the Pont-Neuf. The rest of the island, from its original sandy shores, began to rise above the water from the time it became inhabited; upon the construction of its first sixteenth century quays and the ensuing masonry walls that would decide its final elevation, the ile de la Cité had risen more than seven metres above the water in places. The rise in the land came about because of many demographical reasons, but the largest was because of the landfill and refuse of human habitation.

This park is charming but little visited at this time of the year. Called the square du Vert-Galante, its name is the same given as a nickname to the King Henri IV for his love for flirting and silkworm culture (today's "Vert" (green) is a transformaion of "Ver" meaning "worm") – and these gardens were once a choice quiet spot for lovers promenading on the bridge above.

The wind over the water is sharp here at the point of the island; let us walk back towards the stairs from where we came so we can get a closer look at the bridge we see there. Aside from the architectural scenery along the shorelines and the interesting perspective our low altitude gives to our view of Paris' bridges, there is little to note on our way there. Yet as we near our destination we see a line of contorted faces looming down upon us…


0001-09

The Pont-Neuf


This is perhaps Paris' most famous bridge. Called quite blatantly the "new bridge" at its time of construction, it has retained the same name ever since. In terms of location it was Paris' fourth bridge, and the third to be built in stone. Built from 1578 on the orders of Henri III and Catherine de Medecis as their connection between the ile de la Cité, Rive Gauche and the royal palace that was the Louvre then. It was also the first bridge to be unadorned with houses as was the custom then; instead, upon its completion in 1607, its walkways were lined with the boutiques and stands of merchants and offerers of services or cures. The Pont Neuf of those times had a reputation comparable to today's Champs Elysees. The faces we see above are the creations of the bridge's architect, Baptiste Androuet du Cerceau, and number 385 in all. Today the Pont Neuf is Paris' oldest bridge, as the two others existing then have since been carried away or destroyed by either flood, age or fire.

Now that we are at the eastern end of the square, we can get a closer look at the abovementioned bridge: the gradation you see engraved into the prow of one of its pillars is quite evidently there to mark the hight of the river – but perhaps it should be noted that Paris has no living evidence of any flood worse than that of 1910 and this is still today used as a point of reference for any modern crues.

After another look around the bridge's foundations and perhaps a closer look at some of those sometimes disturbing sculptured masks above us, let us make our way towards the double-archway wee see at the top of the monumental stairs before us. I can't help but note that those openings look like coffins. Between the two you can read of the demise of the last official leader of the Templars in 1314: More than likely in the goal of imparing the Templar's vast riches and landholdings, Templar leader Jaques Molay had been convicted by the king Philippe IV (le Bel) of crimes from heresy to buggery and burned at the stake here. All this of course happened at a time when this place was but an islet.

Once through one of the rather ominous archways we find ourselves in a narrow trench with a choice of two opposing staircases. Taking the one to the left we will make our way to the street above and find ourselves, after being confronted with the hulking Sameritaine department store across the river, we find ourselves in the north-west corner of the…


0001-18

Place du Pont-Neuf


This flagstoned square is an integral part of the Pont Neuf, but the statue in its centre has a story of its own. We'll get to that in a second, but let us first have a look back at the park and over the river from this new higher perspective.

Of the horsebacked statue which is this place's centrepeice, only the marble pedestal is of origin as the the original statue topping it was toppled and melted down in the years following France's 1789 revolution. In thinking of the original statue, one could even say that the horse in front of us has a longer history than its rider: originally created as a mount for an eventual statue of the Grand-Duke of Tuscany (a project dampened by the death of the Duke) the riderless bronze horse was given as a gift to Marie de Medecis. Still riderless, the statue was mounted here in 1614 as the first known statue of a subject purely equestrial. Louis XIII had the statue topped with another of his father (Henri IV) from 1635, and as an addition celebrating military victories, bas-reliefs to the pedestal and statues of chained slaves at the same's four corners. The pedestal remained empty until Louis XVIII had had a statue of Napoleon (formerly topping the place Vendome column) melted down for a new effigy of Henri IV. This last version, dating from 1818, is the same that we see before us. One detail of note, though: The new statue's sculptor, a fervent Bonapartist, had enclosed a statuette of Napolean to its inside along with texts by Voltaire, and there they stayed until the only recent (2004) renovation of the statue and its pedestal.

If you turn and take a closer look at what seems to be but a pair of quite quaint but normal brick apartment buildings behind you, you'll see something more if you'd care to draw nearer: from the point in front of our statue they hide a triangular block of similar buildings behind them and, now to think of it, the rest of the ile de la Cité as well. Let's walk over to the Rive Gauche side of the island to get a closer look at the outward-facing façade of…


0001-26

La Place Dauphine


This is one of two areas of the ile de la Cité to avoid escape Haussmann's destruction/reconstruction campaigns. The riverside façade you see before you along the quai des Orfevres, though fairly uniform today, was even more so upon the construction of this place at the beginning of the 17th century, as all of the buildings resembled those you saw from the place du Pont-Neuf. Quite a few of them were either destroyed or renovated beyond recognition, but as you will see later, there are still a few blocks that have retained their original form.

As already mentioned, this land was once two islets at the western tip of the ile de la Cité joined to their larger neighbour upon the construction of the Pont Neuf. Upon the bridge's completion, the unused land to its east was given to the Parliment President Achille de Harlay] on the condition that he build a uniform block of buildings whose style would resemble those of the place Royale (today's place des Vosges) being built then. Probably in honor of the king's gift, the President Harlay named his place for the king's eldest son, the young dauphin and future King Louis XIII (le Juste).

As we make our way along the quai des Orfèvres ("quay of the goldsmiths") you may want to have a look at the river below; where there are stone quays today, much of the Seine's banks were but steep and sandy escarpments dotted with and watermills until well into the 19th century. This quay in particular was completed in 1807.

We are now at the eastern end of the Place Dauphine. If we look to the east of the rue Harlay we can see the reason this place was to be destroyed: the largest of Haussmann's four major architecture additions to the island, the Palais de justice covers the ile de la Cité shore to shore from here to the boulevard du Palais. It is presently being renovated so I've taken no pictures to show you here – check perhaps again in the coming months.

The building in front of us, probably the ugliest renovation of the lot, is a prime example of this square's disfiguration by time and speculation. The whole west side of the rue Harlay was once a solid block of buildings like the other two, but centred with a monumental archway – all of this was destroyed in 1874. The façade at 2 rue Harlay is still intact though, and is today protected from further modification by very strict patrimonial laws.

If you can project this façade onto all others in this square you will get a good picture of the beauty this place once had. Let us take a walk around and perhaps a sit if you like – notice the ironwork on number six of this place, and the façade of the building next to it still retains its original stone-spined brickwork. A few others are more or less preserved and protected by the same historical laws as the building above. After we're through here we'll move towards the western end of the place and our already-visited statue of Henri IV.

Let's just take a skip across the street to have a look at the outer place Dauphine from its quai de l'Horloge side – and after progress along the same quay and the Rive Droite side of the island. In passing note a the marble plaque upon the second-floor wall to our right denoting the building it adorns as the birthplace and residence of a certain "Mme. Roland" – this lady was the wife of a certain Roland de la Platiére and known during the revolution for her role as a "Girondin" and her stance against the free bloodletting of the post-revolution "Terror" years. She would be arrested and guillotined with other Girondins, and her husband would commit suicide soon after.

The quai de l'Horloge, completed in 1611, is much older than its counterpart to the opposite side of the island. The reason for its early development becomes clear when we see the stone towers that appear around the curve to our right as we progress forward.


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The Ile de la Cité Palaces


As mentioned in the introduction that precedes this chapter (as well as in the "History of Paris – Part I: chapter in the "Paris Generalities" section), this end of the island was reserved for its ruler's residences from around the fourth century, that is to say during the Gallo-Roman era. Only fragments remain of this latter era, but it is known that in Merovingian times (500-751) that the palaces stood to the east of a garden filling the western point of the island. Through centuries of Kings and renovations, each successive version of the royal batiments would grow to the east from there. Robert II ("le Pieux" – 996-1031) would rebuild the probably roman-era residences here into palaces during his reign, and these would be added to and embellished by the other kings of the same Capetian dynasty. Only vestiges of Saint-Louis (Louis XI – 1226-1270) reign onward are still standing today, and the first of these, a tower built around 1250, is the first in the line of four nearing us to our right.

Philippe IV ("le Bel" – 1285-1314) would entirely renovate the palace, extending it, in adding the next two towers ahead, to the today's boulevard du Palais. To the palace's inside, the following halls are of his era: in addition to rebuilding his residences, he added the a new "Grand Salle" (the "salle des Pas-Perdus" today) where he would give justice,. The "Conciergerie" (a building concecrated to the "concierge" or "guardian of the palace") and the "Salle des gens d'armes" (reserved for the palace guardians).

Charles V ("le Sage" - 1364-1380) would bring the palace's last royally-ordained renovations from 1353 with the construction of new kitchens and, most importantly, the tour de l'Horloge that we see ahead. This tower, quite different from the rest in its square construction, is graced with the city's first public clock. The clock itself, now before us, seems in dire need of restoration – it's last major overhaul was in 1848. Adorned with these statues on its (probably dark) blue background, the clock must have been quite remarkable in its heyday. The bell you see above it would chime on all great royal occasions.

If we make our way along the boulevard de palais we will come to a majestic gate; just above it we can only just discern the spire of a cathedral. In crossing to the other side of the street we can get a better view, and at the same time turn back for a better overall view of the tour de l'Horloge.

This chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle, is the palace's second-oldest still-standing structure, built during under the orders of the Saint-Louis. The king had bought saint-relics from the Emperor of Constantinople, and ordered the construction of a building fitting for them. The work of the architect Pierre de Montreuil, this edifice is a church with two levels; the lower was reserved for the court, and the upper for the king and the Saint-relics. Built in the then-perfected flamboyant Gothic style, the use of pillars and ribbing for support instead of the solid walls commonly used till then, its architectural techniques made allowed what is perhaps the city's most majestic stained-glass windows. The inner cathedral, especially the upper level, is an exercise in light and lightness. Everything between the Conciergerie and the Sainte-Chapelle went up in flames in 1776, and the massive grill you see fronting the palace dates from the palace renovations thereafter.


0001-49

The Marché aux Fleurs


The major monuments of this promenade past us, we have but a short stroll to our next one. While we're here perhaps you'd like to take around the place behind us; not coincidentally, as we are in front of the Prefecture du Police, it is named for a Louis Lépine who served as a quite memorable prêfet from 1893. This place holds one of Paris' last flower markets, and its absolute last bird market on Sundays.

From here we will take the rue de la Cité before us to our next promenade in the eastern part of the ile de la Cité and its cloitre Notre-Dame…



HISTORICAL SECTION 02 - The Rive Gauche of Philippe-Auguste – the central Latin Quarter, dit "l'Université".


If Paris' first inhabited region was the Île de la Cité, its second was here. After chasing the Celtic Senons from their island habitations, it seems that the Romans quickly outgrew it and established their permanent town to the southern shore of the Seine.

This roman village, called "Lutèce" by its founders, grew from its early 1st-century foundations until around the middle of the fourth. There may have already existed a roadway leading across the island to the north and south then, but to this the Romans would add to this in building roadways leading to their other colonial outposts through the lands. The central roadway, leading south from the petite Pont to follow the rue Saint-Jacques, was a road connecting to Cenabum (also "Genabum" – today Orléans) then Spain; from this main route, running roughly along today's rue Saint Séverin to turn south along the rue de La Harpe in a path parallel to the first was a secondary road known as the "via inferior" (lower road); lastly, branching off from the same point as the second to the east along today's rue Galande and rue Lagrange was another route that, following a path to the south still traceable through Paris's streets today, led to Rome through Lyon.

The roads described above made the pinnacle of the Roman village's main arteries, but its heart was further south to the tip of the historical quarter we are in now. This historical division was hard to make, as we are covering ground that was inhabited in two stages of Paris' development: Of the Roman first only the roadways remain today, but on this skeleton was built the second: that of the post-Norman invasions. As for the time in-between, it is hard to say that the Left Bank was settled; it is known that many of the stones from degraded Roman edifices were used to build much in the post-Roman period, but that is about all. Whether Lutèce was destroyed by the 5th-century Frankish invasions or simply fell to ruins is still a subject of much dispute.

In any case, if there was anything left on the Left bank in those years it is certain that it fell to the Normans. Most every edifice that couldn't be ransomed was destroyed. Building in the time afterward must have been difficult because of all the rubble and foundations that had to be removed before the ground could be built anew – it is most probably for this that Paris' inhabitants preferred, from that time onwards, to fill the Right Bank marshe sand build on virgin land.

With all of the above, the Rive Gauche would be slow to grow. Paris' post-11th century expansion as a capital and Notre-Dame's proximity did a little to help, but it was mostly Philippe-Auguste's creation of the University of Paris and the wall he built there that sparked a real growth.

In this historical section (02) we will be covering the second patch of land to be settled in the Parisian basin: the land just to the south of its Île de la Cité. Though the Roman town stretched much further south, I have limited this section to the inside of Paris' Philippe-Auguste ramparts – little remains of anything roman outside of this area, and these limitations will help for later clarity – as it will become clear as we progress through our walks.


Promenade 0003


Le Clos du Laas
The roadways described above were important in marking limits between the many fief and parish landholdings around Paris. This week's walk will cover the easternmost portion of a quite ancient landholding whose demarcation dated at least from the 5th century: "le Clos du Laas."

A "clos" is generally a walled enclosure, and in feudal times many of the properties through these lands were exactly that. "Laas", on the other hand, was a signification a little more particular: Latin "arx" (or French-Latin "ars"), meaning "citadel", when combined with the medieval French "the", which would be "li", would make "li arx" or "li ars".

This territory in particular had been attributed to the Abbey Saint-Germain upon its 6th-century creation. In 1179 its Abbott Hughes decided to split its easternmost region into plots available for construction; between the river and a roadway between Paris' north-south axis, these were arranged around a new "rue de Laas", or our rue de la Huchette of today. All of the above was added to the parish jurisdiction of the nearby Saint-Séverin church.

This quarter was the Rive Gauche's most animated in the between the 13th and 16th centuries. After growth to the south had made the heart of the Rive Gauche closer to the Sorbonne, this area entered a period of decline until it had become, in the early 19th century, a dark, sordid and dismal group of decrepit buildings destined for destruction. The overall age of this quarter did much to protect it from being rebuilt anew, although it took many a year to gather those willing to invest in it. Those dark years past, today it has been recuperated since by the tourist industry and, although it is rarely frequented by Parisians, is an animated quarter today.


0003-01

Point du Depart: the Petit-Pont


From our spot in the centre of the Petit Pont we have a good view of the Rive Gauche riverfront. It is the land to the right of our bridge that concerns us today, but have a look to your left and the strange wood-and-plaster building rising rather haphazardly above the peaked roof of the house that fronts it: this building is a good representation of many others we will see today. Almost all Parisian structures between the 11th and 17th century followed this model with almost no change at all: A typical building then was built in stone on its ground floor, or "rez-de-Chausée", and on this would be built a framework of rough timber or "charpente". The outer walls would be formed by filling the framework with rough stone ("moellons") and mortar, and this in turn covered with plaster. This "half timber" look would remain the norm until, after a fire that had destroyed most of Paris in 1666, Louis XIV's decreed that all Paris' buildings be completely covered in plaster to lessen the chances of propagation of fire. Still, in poorer buildings this would only be done on the outer faces, and its wood is often still visible in its courtyard - as soon we will see.

Le Petit Châtelet


Before entering the maze of streets that is this quarter, let's stop for a second to the end of our bridge, on the land that once held one of Paris' earliest landmarks, le Petit-Châtelet.

Existing even since Roman times in the place where it stands today, it is thought that the Petit-Pont's mainland extremity, as was its "Grand-Pont" larger counterpart to the northern side of the Île de la Cité, had always been protected by some form of fortification or another. This type of bridge defence was common to Roman architecture, and it is most probable that later constructions serving the same purpose also followed the same model.

One of the earliest documentations about the Petite Châtelet is one that tells the story of one of the many 9th-century Viking attacks on Paris: In February of 886 precisely, floods had carried away the petite Pont to leave the petite Châtelet isolated, and its defenders were killed and the tower destroyed. Built in wood then, it is most probable that the Petite Châtelet was rebuilt in stone with the rest of the town's defences early in the next century.

We do know for certain that, after a flood in 1296 carried away most everything from along the riverbanks, the Petit Châtelet was rebuilt as a solid stone structure around 1369.

In this newer version, though it blocked what was then Paris' most travelled road, the Petite-Châtelet offered but a passage wide enough for one cart. It was obsolete as a means of defence even at the time of its reconstruction, because of the Philippe-Auguste city walls already in existence then; it served for little more than for a tollgate until, towards the end of the 14th century, its prisons (yet-unused) were annexed to those of the overcrowded Grande Châtelet. The role of a prison seemed to suit the Petit Châtelet quite well: of a dismal appearance, squat, square and unornamented, in addition to its aboveground prisons, its foundations held "oubliette" cells that, in addition to being constantly damp because of their closeness to the water, were almost closed to the circulation of air.

The Petite Châtelet was destroyed in 1782. If anything remains of its foundations, they would lie under today's Place du Petit-Pont – as there were no quays then, with the foundations of all riverfront properties dropping directly into the water here, they would be further back towards the centre of today's place du Petite-Pont.


0003-03

La rue de la Chat Qui Pêche, la rue Xavier-Privas, la rue de la Huchette


All of the buildings to the right of our bridge date from the construction of the quai Saint-Michel from 1811. In crossing the street and progressing below them to our right, we come to a sort of mini-square with a lamp as its centrepiece: this is the mouth of one of Paris' narrowest streets, whose name is that of a former shop owner's sign: la rue de la Chat qui Pêche (the "Cat-who-fishes"). Further on to the same side is our entry to the heart of the former Clos du Laas, the rue Xavier-Privas.

This street's present name is only recent for, as we will soon see, it was called for the longest time the "rue Zacharie". This name in legend has many attributions, but the most plausible seems to be that of a former 13th-century building bearing the sign "maison Sacalie". The part of this street to the north of the rue Huchette changed names many times through the centuries, as, until the construction of the quay, it was practically a dead-end. Xavier-Privas was the pen name of the 19th-20th century poet Antoine-Paul Taravel who spent his last years in this quarter.

Once past the quite unremarkable first part of our alleyway onto the rue de la Huchette, we find one of the strangest buildings we'll see in this walk: quite typical of the haphazard destruction-construction history of this quarter, this one seems to have been wedged into the corner made by two already-existing buildings. Taking the rue de la Huchette to our right, you'll see that the building it is leaning against, number 21 rue de la Huchette dates from the Louis XVI period (1774-1791). Admire the ironwork in its windows; notice that the monogram in the centre of each seems to differ from apartment to apartment.

The rue de la Huchette, like the lower rue Xavier Privas and the rue Saint-Séverin we will see later, is something of a tourist-oriented "restaurant row" today. Perhaps ironically this is not so far from its 17th-century vocation: its name had changed then to "rue des Rôtisseurs" (practically "barbecue street") as it had become populated by meat-roasting merchants. In fact this street already had its "Huchette" appellation on a 1284 plan, this name being that of a "maison de la Huchette" that stood further towards the place du Petit-Pont.

Let's continue our way along the rue de la Huchette to its intersection with the rue de la Harpe.
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La rue de la Harpe


The rue de la Harpe was one of the Rive Gauche's major arteries until the construction of the boulevard Saint-Michel in 1855. Beginning at the corner of the rue Saint-Séverin, It stretched much further south from its miniscule length of today; in fact, along with the "rue d'Enfer" further south (today the boulevard Denfert-Rocherereau), it was Paris' second-oldest roadway, as in Roman times the whole length was known as the "Via Inferior" (or "the lesser (or "lower") road"). The Petite Pont being the Rive Gauche's only connection to the Île de la Cité until well into the 14th century, the via Inferior turned to roughly follow the rue Saint-Séverin to meet the main roadway, today's rue Saint-Jacques, just below it. As for the reason it has its "Harpe" appellation of today, this can be traced back to a 13th century plan showing it named as the "vicus Reginaldi dicti le Harpeur" (or "street of Reginald, also known as 'the harpist'") – probably the name of a storefront sign.

A second bridge crossed the river at today's Pont Saint-Michel from 1378, which would by why the more recent portion of the rue de la Harpe above the rue Saint-Séverin is angled towards it. In fact this upper portion was called the "rue de la Vieille Boucherie" until its 1851 unification to the little remaining from the original rue de la Harpe after the Boulevard Saint-Michel's construction.

Before 1855 the rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-Séverin emptied into the rue de la Harpe and went no further; In the massive reconstructions of those times, these streets would be continued westwards until the boulevard, and everything along their path destroyed. It is for this that the only buildings of any age are to its eastern side, or to the left of our southward course.

The rue de la Harpe is interesting at its intersection with the rue Saint-Séverin – let's take a walk around the place, and as there are few buildings of interest in this section of the rue de la Harpe, take a jog over for a look at #34 rue Saint-Séverin. This is one of my favourite courtyards on this promenade; with its noble staircase and mask-topped archways… the greenery adds a very nice touch. A very kind lady living there showed me around, and we chatted while I took my pictures – it seems that this building has two levels of basement (a trait quite typical to buildings dating before the 18th century) but the neighbouring restaurant wasn't as near as obliging. There wasn't much to see anyways, she told me, because the restaurant had filled every centimetre it could with all its equipment and stores.

Continuing along the rue de la Harpe, most of these buildings date from this street's widening in the late 18th century – that is until we arrive at the level of numbers 35 and 37. We will have a closer look at the former, as it is the more interesting: Beyond its quite remarkable blue door and facade (classé "Monument Historique") we'll find a charming courtyard, and to its right an ornate stairway dating from around 1730. This property had the particularity of marking a right angle to open into the rue de la Parcheminerie which we will visit very soon: After advancing through a passageway joining this courtyard to another beyond, and entering a door leading to a stairway to the floors above, we can see a strange little doorway, today blocked with plaster, that at one time opened into the property beyond. We will see the other side later on, but it is too bad that we cannot see it through this way… the stairway here is interesting though, with doors added at all angles… let's take a quick look up then exit this property to continue our way along the rue de la Harpe.

We pass the mouth of the rue de la Parcheminerie, but let's continue on a bit before doubling back to it – at #45 we'll find a building from the late 18th century whose "monumental" door has also been listed on the "protected items" list of Monuments Historiques.


0003-30

La rue de la Parcheminerie, la rue Boutebrie


Making our way back north to turn right into the rue de la Parcheminerie. This street, opened from the 13th century, was at first called "rue des Écrivans" as at one time one could hire one of the many scribes that would sell their services here. This name had become "rue des Parchemeniers" by the late 14th century, suggesting the presence of those selling parchment – which wouldn't be surprising when one thinks of the nearby Paris Université. Today's "Parcheminerie" is but a derivation of the latter name.

The rather unremarkable facades to the left of this street are ancient – number 30 dates from the 16th century. Further ahead, just past where the street widens we can see a charming building to our right at number 29: dating from the mid-18th century, its facade and roof are protected under the Monument Historique classification. Coincidentally its ground floor is occupied by a bookstore run by someone I have known since my very first years here in Paris – someone from the same country as I. I'll let the picture tell you the rest.

If you care to look to the opposite side of the street you will see the second facade of the building at 35 rue de la Harpe – it seems to have been rebuilt quite a few times in the centuries since its construction, and looks in need of renovations around its balconies. It still offers an interesting perspective, and you can see the remnants to the right of its facade of what looks to have been a support