Between Châtelet and Beaubourg

1- Place du Châtelet, Châtelet Square
This square was rearranged in 1808, replacing the old Chatelet fortress which protected the entrance to Paris until 1802. Redesigned again in the 1860’s by Haussmann, the square was lined by the Chatelet Theater (théâtre du Châtelet) and the Theater of the City (théâtre de la Ville) which was run by Sarah Bernhardt from 1898-1923.

Built by Davioud, the two theaters are characteristic of the discretion desired by the Seine prefecture. With the exception of their huge, classic facades, they blend into the surrounding architecture. Only the size of the main performance rooms is apparent. On the side of the Seine, the facades follow the alignment of the other buildings. Haussmann wanted his new, large boulevards to be linked to the city’s central points. From the Sebastopol Boulevard, one can see the domed Business Tribunal which cuts off the view from the Island of the Cité.

La tour Saint-Jacques, St-Jacques Tower
The St. Jacques Tower is the only remnant that remains of the St. Jacques de la Bourcherie Church which once stood in place of the present St. Jacques Square. The sanctuary, laid during the Carolingian era, served as an important crossroads en route to the pilgrimage site of St. Jacques de Compstelle. The statue of the pinnacle is that of a saint. Only the gothic tower wasn’t destroyed during the Revolution. Built in 1523, the tower illustrates how the shapes of Middle Ages endured into the Sixteenth Century. It has been a meteorological station since 1891.

At the base of the Statue of Pascal, the script recalls that the philosopher renewed his barometric experiments here in 1648 from the Puy de Dome. A Stella pays homage to Gerard de Nerval (poet) who was found not far from here in 1855.

Rue Saint-Martin which passes in front of the Beaubourg and the Saint-Jacques Tower is the old "cardo", the principal North-South route from Lutèce. The quarter didn't become urbanized until the Eleventh Century with the construction of the Châtelet Fortress in front of the Pont Neuf. The Fortress disappeared in 1808.

2- Place de l'hôtel de Ville, City Hall Plaza
Until the Eleventh Century, the present plaza was just a long, rocky shore. In 1141, the ‘water merchants’ created a port to ease the congestion at the Ile de la Cité's port. The Greve port received boats with provisions such as wheat, wine, hay, wood and coal. The first municipal authorities, dominated by the ‘water merchants’, set up a house alongside the Greve Square in 1357. The small square became a place of celebrations and revolts by the Parisians. From the Twelfth Century until1830 it was also used as a site for executions. In1830 the square took on its present name. In the Nineteenth Century, the jobless workers gathered here and gave birth to the expression ‘être en grève’ (to be on strike). Haussmann enlarged the square and gave it its present name. It became a pedestrian square in 1982.

Hôtel de Ville, City Hall, place de l'Hôtel de Ville (www)
(tel. 01 42 76 43 43, tours of the rooms tel. 01 42 76 50 49, for guided visits, every Monday at rue Lobau and porche Rivoli. The main chambers are only visible during public meetings and municipal councils)
The Parisian municipality was granted by the King in 1170, and came about from the water merchant’s corporation. The water merchants had considerable power, their monopoly of all provisions transported by water was significant because most trade was carried out by boat. In 1246, St. Louis created the first municipality : the middle class of Paris elected a municipal magistrate who represented them in front of the King. The head of their corporation was called the ‘Provost of the Merchants’ and the seal of the most powerful water merchants was adopted. This famous boat that ‘floats and doesn’t sink’ (fluctuat nec mergitur) now forms the armories of the City of Paris. For one century, the meetings were held in the neighboring St. Genevieve Abbey on the left bank. It was in 1375 that Etienne Marcel, provost of the Merchants, bought a house that looked onto the small Greve Square. The ‘house of pillars’ was built in gothic style, decorated with arcades on the ground floor from which it gets its name. It was rebuilt in the Sixteenth Century, then again in the Seventeenth. Redone over and over, enlarged and decorated (paintings from Ingres and Delacroix) during the Nineteenth Century under Louis Philippe, it was burned to the ground in 1871 by the "Commune". It was rebuilt in its original style in 1882 under a national subscription (by Theodore Ballu and Eduouard Deperthes). Many nooks and pillars hold the 108 statues of famous Parisians. Above the building’s cap stand 30 statues representing French cities (-except Strasbourg and Metz.) The ‘clock’s fronton’ decorating the central facade represents many feminine allegories : the Seine and the Marne (rivers) are framed by Work and Instruction, atop the City of Paris. The ornate interior with its gildings, woodwork, and chandeliers by Baccarat all give testimony to the wealth of the Third Republic. The Council of Paris, which holds its meetings on Mondays, is open to the public. The Mayor of Paris' house is located next to the quay of the city Hall (quay of the Hotel de Ville)

B.H.V. (Bazar de l'hôtel de Ville), BHV Department Stores, 52-64 rue de Rivoli (www)
(open10-7 p.m. except Sunday, Wednesdays until 10:00pm)
The old Napoleon bazaar which became the city hall bazaar in 1870 is not remarkable for its architecture. The downstairs however is known to all do-it-yourself handymen

Eglise Saint-Merri, St-Merri Church, 78 rue Saint-Martin ou 76 rue de la Verrerie
(métro Hôtel de Ville) (tél. 01 42 71 93 93, from 9a.m.-7p.m. daily)
The abbot of St. Martin of Autun, St. Mederic, was buried in Paris around the year 700. His name was shortened and given to this chapel, which was built in the Ninth Century and rebuilt in 1220. Constructed in a flamboyant gothic style, the present church dates from 1552. In the Eighteenth Century, the gothic parts were destroyed and replaced by a baroque decor. The choir screen and the monumental cloisters which separated the choir from the nave were destroyed in 1709. The stained glass windows were replaced by clear glass. The St. Merri gives us a good idea of decoration from the Notre Dame era since the decor is still intact here. During the Revolution the statues were destroyed, and the church was turned into a powder factory. In the Nineteenth Century the statues were replaced (1842), the building restored and the city of Paris had the chapels decorated with paintings. A small turret located to the left of the facade contains the oldest bell in Paris that dates from 1331.

3- Centre Beaubourg-Georges Pompidou, Georges-Pompidou Center, 19 rue Beaubourg (www)
(métro Rambuteau) Open every week day except Tuesday 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Now closed until the end of December 1999)
(Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, Architects,www of the architects1977)
(today David Hockney. Espace/Paysage, until 26 april)
President Georges Pompidou, a modern art enthusiastic, wanted to build a large contemporary art museum and open a free library. Though he disapproved of the final design the jury chose, he accepted their decision. The architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers wanted to construct a building that was familiar like a factory, playful and intriguing "above all not an intimidating temple of culture." The major constraint was to eliminate all the interior obstacles so that there would be complete liberty in arranging the interior space. The architects overcame these constraints by "taking out and exhibiting the insides of the building on its exterior." The metal circulation ducts are in different colors: green for water, blue for heating and air, yellow for electricity, red for the circulation of people and of course the large escalator in its glass tube. Completed in 1977, Pompidou Center is well integrated into Paris thanks to its respect for traditional alignment and its contrast of forms and colors. It attracts 25,000 people per day; far more than planned. A large part of the center will be closed until December 31, 1999 for renovations, in order to reorganize the modern art exhibition spaces. The spaces will almost double because the administration offices are moving to the other side of Rambuteau Street. The Public Information Library will occupy three levels and will have an independent entrance.

Musée national d’Art moderne, The National Museum of Modern Art
This museum took over the collection from the Museum of Modern Art, which was created in 1937 in the Tokyo Palace. The collection was enriched by other donations and acquisitions, but it was not exhibited permanently and many of the works were rotated. Now closed, the museum has paintings by Fauves, the cubists, Bonnard, Matisse, Léger, Kandinski, Klee, Malévitch, Delaunay, the surrealists, Dubuffet, the Cobra group, Giacometti, etc. Since 1945 the collections are filled with American Abstract Art "new realism", Pop Art…

The view of Paris from the "caterpillar" staircase and the cafe terrace on the last floor is very interesting, although the view is not 360 degrees.

Bibliothèque publique d'information, The Public Information Library (BPI) (www)
(Every week day except Tuesday 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m)
Opened in 1977 at the same time as the Pompidou center, the innovative principle of this library was to give access to the largest possible portion of the population. The library is open to all, and it is free with books in easy access. Since November 1997, a small part of the library has moved to Brantôme Street in the Horloge quarter.

Atelier Brancusi
At the intersection of the place Beaubourg and rue Rambuteau
(from noon to 10 p.m. daily except Tuesdays, from 10a.m. to 10p.m. Saturdays and Sundays)
Constantin Brancusi lived and worked in his studio located in Impasse Ronsin (15th district now gone) from 1925 to 1957. When he died, the sculptor willed his studio, and the state was obligated to restore it into a modern art museum. The studio was imperfectly restored at the Palace of Tokyo, then flooded in the first building of the place Beaubourg. The studio has now been restored by Renzo Piano who has just reopened it. The studio has sketches as well as the pure and stylistic sculptures in stone, marble and bronze.

4- Ircam, 1 place Stravinski (www)
(tel. 01 44 78 48 43, open daily except Tuesdays and Sundays)
(Daniel and Patrick Rubin, Architects, then Renzo Piano)
The ‘Institute of Research and Music/Acoustic Coordination’ is divided into three sectors. The studios, musical creation and research laboratories (on acoustics, perception) are located underneath the Stravinski Square. The old brick and stone building is where the documentation (media library offers partitions, sound documents) and pedagogy sectors are located (Architects Daniel and Patrick Rubin). Finally, the modern extension by Renzo Piano, built in 1989, houses the general services. The use of brick and discrete alignment enables the building to mix in with the neighboring architecture, but the pure and clean shape still stands out.

Fontaine Stravinski, Stravinski Fountain
(Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle, 1983)
Created in 1983, the fountain adds to the ‘street’ entertainment coming from the Beaubourg center. In the center of the Place, musicians, caricatures and colorful braiders reign. In front of the fountain musicians, dancers and mimes entertain the passers-by. The fountain’s iron mobiles were set up by Jean Tinguely, the ‘chicks’ and other colorful characters were made by Niki de Saint Phalle. The sculptures pay homage to the composer of Petrouchka and the Sacre of Spring.

5- Quartier de l'horloge, District of the Clock, rues Rambuteau et Brantôme
(JC Bernard and A. Bertrand, Architects,1983)
Built at the same time as the Beaubourg district, the current buildings overtook the small, unhygenic buildings, as well as old hosiery and dry goods stores. Only the facades of St. Martin Street and four buildings on Beaubourg Street which date from the beginning of the century were spared. The new 6- and 7-story buildings are integrated into the traditional framework. The second floors of these buildings are occupied by a wide variety of activities as well as green terraces. On the Beaubourg side, the district opens up onto a statue of Zadkine, representing the flight of Prometheus when he had just robbed the heavens of fire. In the center, the large clock has the figure, ‘the Defender of Time’ on it. Every hour he fights one of the three monsters that comes out from the air, the earth or the sea. At noon and 6 p.m., he fights all three (Jacques Monestier, 1979).

6- Musée de la poupée, Doll Museum, impasse Berthaud, 22 rue Beaubourg, 3rd
(métro Rambuteau)
(tel. 01 42 72 73 11 or 01 42 72 55 90, from 10a.m. to 1p.m. and 2p.m. to 6:30 daily, Thursdays from 8p.m. -10 p.m.)
Prior to the doll museum, a mechanical museum was located here until1995. The new museum exhibits a doll and French ‘babies’ collection made out of porcelain from 1860-1960, all of which were collected by Guido and his son Samy Odin. Presented in a decor that evokes the era of their creation, the dolls have evolved. The ‘Parisians’ from 1860-70 have adult faces and represented the fashion of the era. It was only after1880 that the first dolls adopted the faces of children and newborns. The museum organizes workshops for the creation and restoration of porcelain dolls.

To continue with the Marais on the rue des Francs-Bourgeois

Between Saint-Paul and City Hall

(Leave from métro Saint-Paul...)
(Access : go by way of rue Caron, rue de Sévigné or rue de Turenne...)

7- Place du marché Sainte-Catherine, St-Catherine Market Square
Of course the buildings date back to the Eighteenth Century, but the organization of this charming little square is typical of the Middle Ages. All of the perspectives are closed which makes it difficult to get to...

8- Eglise Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, St-Paul-St-Louis Church, 99 rue Saint-Antoine
(tel 01 42 72 30 32, from 8 a.m. to 7 :30 p.m. daily)
This is the only Jesuit church in Paris. The Jesuits, militants of the Counter Reform, decided in the Seventeenth Century to build an impressive church. Begun with the help of Louis XIII who gave his name to it, the church was finished in 1641. The church was famous for the richness of its furniture and works of art all of which disappeared during the Revolution. Today they are on display at the Louvre and in Chantilly. From 1641 to 1762, the church was at its height : Bousset and Bourdaloue came to read and Madame of Sevigné came to listen to them; Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Rameau were head of the chapel. The hearts of Louis XIII and Louis XIV were preserved for a long time. The church was pillaged during the Revolution and turned into a book depot for the destroyed convents in the quarter. It adopted the religious group of Reason. It returned to its religious purpose in 1802 by adding St. Paul’s name since the St. Paul church had just been destroyed. Baltard was in charge of restoring it under the Second Empire.
The baroque church has a theatrical facade on three floors, two Corinthian ones and a composite. The interior was inspired by the Gesu church in Rome : the lateral chapels serve the aisles. The dome was the largest of its time. The neighboring Charlemagne high school has occupied the old Seventeenth Century Jesuit house since 1802

La rue Saint-Antoine, Saint-Antoine street

9- Hôtel de Sully, 62 rue Saint-Antoine (www)
(métro Saint-Paul) (Tel : 01 44 61 20 00, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, except Mondays and holidays)
Maximilien de Bethune, Duke of Sully, grand master of the Artillery and Superintendent of Finances to Henry IV bought this mansion in 1634. It had been built 10 years earlier. He had it magnificently decorated in Renaissance style, with the location of the stairwell and an abundance of decorations. The bas-reliefs on the facades represent the Elements and the Seasons. Affected by trade at the end of the Eighteenth Century, the mansion was disfigured by additions that were just recently removed. The restoration was carried out through the old engravings and blueprints of the house. The National Treasury of Historical Monuments and Sites moved in and began organizing exhibitions (www). The book shop there has many interesting guides of France's heritage ("monuments historiques"). In the back of the garden a passageway leads to the Vosges Square (to number 7). This is the old orange grove built by Sully (see le Marais).

Hôtel de Mayenne, Mayenne Mansion, 21 rue Saint-Antoine
Built in 1613 for Henry of Mayenne, this mansion resembled the neighboring Sully Mansion. It was modified in 1709 when the ground floor windows were replaced by arcades, and in 1870 when it became a Christian school. On the right of the courtyard stands a corbelled turret.

Musée de la magie et de la curiosité, Museum of Magic and Curiosity, 11 rue Saint-Paul
(métro Saint-Paul) (tel. 01 42 72 13 26, from 2-7 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays)
The museum displays accessories of ‘physical amusement’ from the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries called ‘prestidigitation.' You can also see real magic shows, plus instruments that make things disappear, and that contort reality - like the box of the woman sawed in two. There are also small boxwood pieces that come from ‘physical amusement’ given to children in the Nineteenth Century, the ‘boxes of secrets’ or disappearing jewelry, automated figures, brass objects, and malleable brass objects made in Dinand in Belgium. The other vaulted cellars display the hall of mirrors; optical illusions based mostly on hollow depths. A movie describes the paradoxical taste for magic during the Enlightenment.

10- Village Saint-Paul, St-Paul Village
Beginning at the rue St. Paul, you can get to the St. Paul Village, an intricate maze of inner streets nicely set up by the surrounding antique shops. If you leave by the other side, by the Jardins St. Paul, you can see two towers of the Philippe Auguste wall dating from 1190 adjacent to the Charlemagne high school sports field.

11- Hôtel de Sens, Mansion House of Sens, 1 rue du Figuier
(métro Saint-Paul, Pont-Marie)
(from 1:30 -8p.m. daily, except Sundays, Mondays and holidays, from 10a.m. to 8:30p.m. Saturdays)
Along with the House of Cluny, this is one of the rare examples of civil architecture from the Middle Ages. The mansion was built between 1475-1519 for Tristan de Salazar, archbishop of Sens who wanted a residence in Paris. Paris didn’t become the seat of the archbishop until 1623. Before then, Paris depended on the archbishop of Sens who was often a member of one of the important families like the Guise’s of the Bourbon’s (family of the king). In the beginning of the Sixteenth Century, Henri IV had his ex-wife, the fantastic Queen Margot housed here. She was the one who had the fig tree cut down because it hindered her carriage from passing; the street was named after the tree. Later, the mansion was rented out for different activities, but it was not maintained. It was in a state of dilapidation when the city bought it in 1916. The restoration was more or less a reconstruction. Thus the building kept its irregular medieval marks, its courtyard and its dungeon from 1475, but the rest of the building wasn’t restored until 1936 through 1962.

Bibliothèque Forney, Forney Library, 1 rue du Figuier
(tél. 01 42 78 14 60, open13.30-20.00 except Sunday and Monday , Saturday from 10.00-20.30)
The Mansion of Sens houses the Forney library, dedicated to decorative art. Founded in 1886 from the legacy of the industrialist, Forney, it became a center for documentation for Parisian artists. Today it offers to art and architecture lovers, books, periodicals, slides, posters and fabric samples from the 18th century, furniture drawings and ironworks, wall paper collections... On the right of the Mansion House of Sens, the formal garden is accessible (by view) by the alleyway (open 8.30-12.30). This is connected with l'hôtel d'Aumont which houses the administrative tribunal built by François Mansart.

On the other side of the rue du figuier, the MIJE Youth Hostel can be reached by passing through the garden, 11 rue du Fauconnier (reception open in the mornings only).

12- Maison européenne de la photographie, European House of Photography, 5-7 rue de Fourcy (www)
(métro Saint-Paul) (tel. 01 44 78 75 00, from 11a.m. to 8p.m. daily except Mondays and Tuesdays)
(Yves Lion and A Levitt, Architects,1995)
The European House of Photography has been organizing thematic and monographic exhibitions since 1995. The exhibition rooms were created in the Eighteenth Century mansion of Henault de Cantobre, although only a lovely balcony and iron wrought stairwell remain from the original building. After the suppression of the Nineteenth Century add-ons, it was enlarged by the architects, Yves Lion and A. Levitt. Their wing was built with stones from the old mansion. The new additions can be distinguished by their size and cleanliness.

The Saint-Gervais quarter has guarded traces of its medieval streets: stroll along rue François-Miron and rue des Barres...

Hôtel de Beauvais, Beauvais House, 68 rue François Miron
The construction of this building commenced in 1655 for Mrs. Beauvais, private maid to Anne of Austria. The house replaced a building whose old and beautiful gothic cellars are still standing. It is from its balcony that the queen mother, Mazarin Turenne helped Louis XIV enter Paris in 1660 with his young wife Marie-Therese. Later, the Ambassador to Baveria acquired the hotel and put up the Mozart family here in 1763. The land is irregular and the building is an original design as a result, especially the semi-oval courtyard. Five grotesque mask doors and the small decorative masks correspond to the old stables. The wrought iron staircase is also remarkable. But nothing is left of the luxurious, Eighteenth Century interior decoration.
The mansion has been one of Paris' administrative courts for the past few years.

Maison de l'association pour la sauvegarde et la mise en valeur du Paris historique, Association for safeguarding and valuing historic Paris, 44-46 rue François Miron
(tel. 01 48 87 74 31, open 14.00-18.00, Saturday and Sunday 2:00-7:30)
Dating from the end of the Sixteenth Century, the house was restored by the members of the association, who also found the original state of the little cour and the cellar of 1250. The association fights to prevent destruction of historic buildings, and often organizes interesting expositions and guided tours of old Paris. (In front of...)

Maisons médiévales, Medieval Houses, 11-13 rue François Miron
The houses were restored in 1967 in order to discover the original Sixteenth Century construction. In fact, the Royal Edict of 1607 had ordered to be covered in order to avoid fires. The two houses with a medieval allure appeared with their wooden frames.

(To the left is the rue Geoffroy..)
Mémorial du martyr juif inconnu, Memorial of the Unknown Jewish Martyr, 17 rue Geoffroy-l'Asnier
(métro Saint-Paul, Pont-Marie) (tel. 01 44 72 42 77, from 10a.m. to 1p.m. and 2p.m. to 6p.m. daily except Saturdays)
Created in 1956, the tomb of the unknown martyr is located in a crypt under the Church's front courtyard. Behind it stands the Jewish Documentation Center of Paris, a four story building dressed in marble.

The place Baudoyer was the object of protests before the construction of a new parking lot, which revealed a Merovingien building and sculptures dating from the 5th-7th Centuries.

Towards the Seine, along rue des Barres (13) you can see a beautiful view of the Saint-Gervais church’s chevet. The little terrace looking onto Medieval Street is a nice place to rest.

Eglise Saint-Gervais, St-Gervais Church, place Saint-Gervais
(métro Hôtel de Ville) (tel. 01 42 72 64 99, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily)
An elm sat in the St. Gervais square. Replanted in 1912, it recalls the tradition of the judges who used to sit under elm trees to pronounce their judgments. Traces of this practice can be found in the surroundings: the balconies of numbers 2 and 14 of François-Miron Street date back to 1732 and are decorated with a wrought iron elm, particularly that of number 14. The St. Gervais Church is built atop of a Sixth Century sanctuary dedicated to the martyr brothers St. Gervais and St. Protais whose relics were found in Milan. The present church dates from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Louis XIII laid the first rock of the facade in July 1616, where three antique orders overlay on the top floor: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Marie of Rabutin Chantal was married here in 1644 to the Marquis of Sevigne. In addition, people like Scarron or Philippe of Champaigne were buried here. The Couperin organs, from the powerful music dynasty of the Seventeenth Century, were restored to their original state in 1974. During the Revolution, the tombs were desecrated, the statues destroyed and the church was transformed into a youth temple. In the Nineteenth Century, the city of Paris had the interiors of the chapels redone, new statues were put in place, and the stained glass windows were restored. In 1918, a German shell killed more than a hundred people when it hit and destroyed a part of the vault. Since 1975, the church has served the brothers and nuns of the Monastic Brotherhood of Jerusalem which celebrates mass daily at 7 a.m. 12:30 and 6 p.m. and every Sunday at 11 a.m.

Maison des compagnons du devoir, House of the Companions of Duty, 1 place Saint-Gervais
(tel. 01 44 78 22 50)
Visit the masterpieces of carpentry, stone cutting and carrosserie.

Arsenal, Ile Saint-Louis and Notre-Dame

In 1352 the Celestines, Benedictine monks, opened a monastery at the level of the rue de l'Arsenal. It quickly became rich due to its proximity to the royal residences of Saint-Paul and Tournelles. In 1512 however, the king took back the cannon shops which had just been moved to the City at the edge of the Seine. After its explosion in 1538, the Royal Arsenal was rebuilt by Philibert Delorme, but the fabrication of weapons and gun powder was transferred to the Salpertriere, in the Seventeenth Century.

14- Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Arsenal Library, 1 rue de Sully, rue de l'arsenal
(métro Sully-Morland) (entrance on the place Teilhard de Chardin , tel. 01 42 76 33 97 ou 01 42 72 19 09 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Sundays and holidays)
At the end of the Fourteenth Century, the royal arsenal occupied one of the towers of the Philippe V wall located close to the river. In July 1538, lightening struck the tower filled with weapons and ammunition which in turn exploded. It destroyed most of the house in the quarter.
Today we can still see the canons from Morland Boulevard. Built in 1594 for the Duke of Sully, the grand master of the Artillery and superintendent of finances, the old residence of the grand masters was embellished in 1745. The austere facade contrasts with the magnificent interior decorations. At the end of the Eighteenth Century, the Marquis of Paulmy of Argenson, grand master of the Artillery gathered Medieval works, when the Middle Ages were still considered an obscure epoch. Completed by other aristocratic collections, the library was also embellished by the archives of the Bastille and by the confiscated books of the convents. The library was opened to the public in 1797. It possesses numerous manuscripts from the Middle Ages especially the miniatures (writings) and works dedicated to the art of performance. There is currently a public debate about whether to redistribute these collections to the National Library in Tolbiac.

(On the other side of the rue de Sully, also visible from the boulevard Henri IV...)
Caserne des Célestins, Celestines Barracks
This building housed the cavalry of the Republican Guard, and was constructed in 1892 in place of the gardens of the old monastery.

15- Pavillon de l'arsenal, Pavilion of the Arsenal, 21 boulevard Morland
(métro Sully-Morland)
(tel 01 42 76 33 97, from 10:30-6:30p.m. daily except Mondays and holidays, from 11-7p.m. Sundays)
(1879, rehabilitated by A. Clément, B. Reichen et P. Robert, 1988)
(Exposition place on architectural and urban projects in Paris)
The information center for city planning and architecture in Paris is located in this building, which was originally constructed in1878 to display the paintings of a rich wood merchant. Transformed later into a Samaritan studio, the building was bought by the city in 1954. Redone by A. Clement, B. Reichen and P. Robert in 1988, the center now offers three floors of exhibits.
The ground floor opens with a large model of Paris (1/2000th its real size). The recent construction in the city is depicted by drawings and models. The second floor is dedicated to traveling exhibitions, the third floor presents projects submitted for contests overseen by the city of Paris. In front of the pavilion, a statue by d'Ipousteguy represents the poet Rimbaud, 'l'homme aux semelles de vent' according to the words of Verlaine, another poet, and interpreted by the sculptor... (‘the man which shoes are in front of', 'devant')

Square Henri-Galli: this encloses a corner of stones from the Bastille, brought up to date since the improvements of the metro.
(Cross the pont de Sully towards the Ile Saint-Louis...)

16- Ile Saint-Louis
Before 1614, there were just two green islands, the Ile aux Vaches (Island of Cows) and Ile Notre Dame (Notre Dame Island). The contractor, Marie, was given the job of city planning. He began with the bridge which now carries his name. The bridge was completed in 1630, and held 50 houses. The work progressed too slowly and Marie was replaced by a different team under the architect le Vau. The two islands were united and surrounded with stone quays and streets in a rectangular pattern. In all, a regular city layout was established, which was new for the times. The first inhabitants, artisans and merchants, moved into the two long main streets. More opulent mansions were built along the quays due to its view of the Seine. Today the district is calm and dignified surprisingly well kept from invading souvenir shops and noisy crowds

Eglise Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile, Church of St-Louis-en-l’Ile, 19 bis rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile
(métro Pont Marie) (tél. 01 46 10 15 00, from 9 a.m. to noon and 3-7 p.m. daily except Mondays, from 9:00 to 1 p.m. Sundays)
In 1644 a church replaced the small chapel built by the first inhabitants of Saint Louis island. Built from the plans of le Vau, the church was slowly enlarged but went unconsecrated until 1726. The Revolution closed the church and took its works of art which were partly recovered later. In the Nineteenth Century, the Abbot Bousset, parish priest from 1864-1888 helped to enhance the church and the city of Paris by ordering 28 paintings that now decorate the lateral chapels. In alignment with the street and facing the east, the church only has one regular entranceway, but two large wooden doors open onto the street. A clock points the building out like a sign. The interior is in a typical religious baroque style. Concerts take place here almost every evening in the summer.

Musée Adam Mickiewicz, Adam Mickiewicz Museum, 6 quai d'Orléans
(métro Pont Marie) (tel. 01 43 54 35 61, from 2-6p.m. Thursdays, Closed from July 15-31; Christmas and Easter, guided tours every hour)
Set up in the Polish library in the Parish, the museum was created in 1903 by Adam Mickiewicz’s son. The Romantic Polish poet of the Nineteenth Century often expressed his elated, patriotic feelings. The museum has documents and souvenirs of the poet and of Romanticism. One whole room is dedicated to Chopin and to Biegas, a painter from the beginning of the Twentieth Century.
(Cross the pont Saint-Louis towards the Ile de la Cité...)

17- Square de l'Ile-de-France, quai de l'Archevêché
(from 10 a.m.-noon and 2-5p.m. daily)
Located at the eastern tip of the Island of the Cité, the square has been a public garden since the old morgue was removed. The emotional deportation memorial was built by G. Henri Pingusson in 1962.

18- Notre-Dame de Paris
(métro Cité, Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame) (tel. 01 43 29 50 40)
(Cathedral Hours: from 8 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. daily, ,closed Saturdays from 12:30 -2 p.m. Choir Hours: from 10:30-noon and 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. Tour Times (on foot): from 9:30 a.m.- 7 p.m. from April to October, from 10 a.m-5:30 p.m. from November-March Museum Hours : from 2:30-6pm Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday. Guided Tour Times (01 42 34 56 10): at noon Monday-Friday, at 2:30 Saturdays
Concert Times (free): at 5:30pm every Sunday)

The bishop, Maurice of Sully, decided in 1160 to construct an immense building to replace the two old, small churches. Under construction until 1330, the work was begun by an architect whose name remains unknown today. In fact, artists were anonymous servants of God who were not recognized as they are today until the Renaissance. Built in the same style as Saint Denis, Notre Dame is the last of the tribunal cathedrals with high galleries located above the lateral naves. Beginning in the Fifteenth Century, the Renaissance flowered by returning to antique art. But the classicism of the Seventeenth Century invented the pejorative expression ‘gothic’ (they called it ‘ogival’), which altered the cathedral. At the request of Louis XIV, the architect Robert de Cotte destroyed the choir screen and replaced it with lavish decor. The doorway is horned to allow the passage of the monumental canopy processions. The following century, the stained glass windows were replaced with clear glass. The Revolution attacked the symbols of religion (doorway statues) and the monarchy (the kings of Juda of the facade that the people always thought were the kings of France), the inside was pillaged. Notre Dame was consecrated to the worship of the goddess of Reason. In the Nineteenth Century, ‘Notre Dame of Paris’ became a novel by Victor Hugo in 1831 and it contributed to return to favor of the Middle Ages. Restoration of Notre-Dame was begun in 1844, carried out mostly by Viollet le Duc. Hesitating between a new nave faithfully restored in either the likeness of the Twelfth or the Thirteenth Century, he finally decided to juxtapose the two eras.

The paved stones of the parvis indicate the layout of the houses as they once were during the Middle Ages, and before their destruction by Haussmann. Their presence accentuated the size and height of the original cathedral. One can also see the famous ‘point zero’ (starting point) of the roads of France.

Associations of the 4th Arrondissement

Mayor and Town Hall
Lucien Finel, 2 place Baudoyer, 75 181 Paris cedex 04, métro Hôtel de Ville, tel 01 42 74 20 04

Statistical Table

Internet sites
Comittees of the Quarter: local news, information and archives
The antique web: photos of the old Marais around Saint-Paul
L'Ile Saint-Louis : les quais, les rues, les ponts, l'histoire, un petit tour en images, les commerces de l'Ile