Introduction
Begin: Métro Pont MarieEnd: Métro Saint-PaulMarais means “swamps,” and as you can imagine, the area called the Marais is built upon reclaimed swampland. This area of Paris has seen its ups and downs. Now is an “up” time! It has become once again a place to live, dine, and work. You’re already a little familiar with the Marais because the Hôtel de Ville is in the Marais as well as the Latter-day Saint Institute building and chapel on rue Saint-Merri.The Marais district stretches north from the Seine to an area just south of the place de la République and from the place de l’Hôtel de Ville east to the place de la Bastille. It includes parts of the third and fourth arrondissements. Dating back to Roman times, rue Saint-Antoine was the main road through the swamps. The road also served as a dyke. In the thirteenth century, the marshes were drained, and a protective wall brought the area into the city limits. Henri IV (king of France from 1594 to 1610) played a major role in making the Marais a desirable place to live by attracting nobility, clergy, and philosophers. It stayed desirable until the revolution; afterwards, the area was mostly abandoned and fell into disrepair. It was saved from destruction by André Malraux, the minister of art under Charles de Gaulle. Thanks to major restoration projects, many undertaken to create municipal office space for Paris, the Marais is returning, in many ways, to its former status as a place to be.Note: Throughout the walk, we call many of the buildings un hôtel. In the sense used here, a hôtel is a private residence, usually with an entrance that goes into a courtyard in the front and a garden in the back.
#1 Hôtel de Sens
Your first destination is the Hôtel de Sens. As you leave the métro, get out your map and get your bearings. You are on the Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville and across the Seine from Île Saint-Louis, the island right behind Notre Dame de Paris. With the Seine on your right, walk toward pont Marie, but instead of turning right to cross the bridge, turn left onto rue des Nonnains d’Hyères and then immediately right onto rue de l’Hôtel de Ville. Pause as you enter rue de l’Hôtel de Ville. This walk begins in a wonderful area of the Marais that visitors often overlook: by the Hôtel de Sens, one of the oldest buildings in Paris. As you look down rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, you will see the small, elegant garden on your left, just behind the Hôtel de Sens, and the hôtel’s tourelle (small tower) that overhangs the street.Go to the end of rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, and turn left on rue du Figuier. The entrance to Hôtel de Sens is on your left.Until Paris had its own archevêque (archbishop) in 1622, the archevêque of Sens presided over Paris and spent much time here. Of course, he needed a nice place to stay, so he had this private residence built. Construction on the Hôtel de Sens began in 1475, and completed in 1519. From 1605 to 1607, the first wife of Henri IV, Marguerite de Valois (Queen Margot) lived at the Hôtel de Sens. Today, the hôtel houses la bibliothèque Forney (the Fine Arts Library of Paris).The fortress-like architecture of the exterior of the Hôtel de Sens (high walls and round, projecting corner towers near the entrance) is an example of the architecture common to Paris at the end of the Middle Ages—a mixture of flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance styles. Note the massive stair tower—the kind of square-looking tower—that dominates the inner courtyard.
#2 The Knife Sharpener
As you leave the Hôtel de Sens, continue to your left to the end of rue du Figuier where it meets rue Charlemagne. (Don’t you just love the street names in Paris? They evoke so much history!) Stop at this intersection and turn left. Look at the corner of the building on the far right corner of rue Charlemagne and rue de Fourcy. (If you get confused, look at the map; there are many little streets in the Marais, and it is easy to become lost.)On the corner, carved into a stone just above the first floor, you will see a knife sharpener. The figure is a copy of the original, which was made in 1767 for a house further down the street. It shows one of many medieval tradesmen who roamed the streets of Paris to sharpen knives and do other menial, low-paying tasks.
#3 Remains of the Philippe Auguste wall
Now head down rue Charlemagne away from the carving of the medieval knife sharpener (to the right as you come out of rue du Figuier). On both sides of the street, you will see a school called Lycée Charlemagne. As you come to the end of the school building on the right, you will see the remains of the Philippe Auguste wall jutting out toward the sidewalk. Go to the corner, and turn right down rue des jardins Saint-Paul.Along this street, you have a clear view of the wall built at the time of Philippe Auguste to enclose Paris around 1200 CE—Paris is much larger now. The garden between the street and the wall is typical of the garden areas that often bordered the city walls on the outside. The walls, with their towers, gated entrances, and gardens provided protection to the city within. Note the juxtaposition of ancient and modern in the wall photo.
#4 Passage Saint-Paul
As you walk down rue des jardins Saint-Paul, on the left side, across from the wall, you will find several little walkways that lead into a courtyard called Village Saint-Paul. Go in and look around the three courtyards then exit on the far side. This is rue Saint-Paul. Turn left onto the lively rue Saint-Paul. Enjoy the many shops as you walk toward rue Saint-Antoine—the old roman road through the marshes. On your left, just before you reach rue Saint-Antoine, is the passage Saint-Paul.Walk down the passage Saint-Paul, noting the chassés roues along both sides. A chassé roue is a post-like structure meant to keep carriages from hitting the walls. The passage leads to a side entrance of l'église Saint-Paul Saint-Louis du Marais. Imagine yourself a few hundred years ago going into the church through this “mysterious” side entrance. The Jesuits (priests who were members of the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus, organized in Paris in 1534 by Ignace de Loyola) occupied this location beginning in 1550 and had this church built. Louis XIII himself laid the cornerstone for the church in 1627, and Cardinal Richelieu celebrated the first mass after its completion in 1641.
#5 Église Saint Paul Saint Louis
Go inside and look around. (If the side entrance is locked, go back down the passage to rue Saint-Paul, turn left, walk up to rue Saint-Antoine, and turn left to the front entrance of the church.)Inside l'église Saint Paul Saint Louis, you'll find the painting of le Christ au Jardin des Oliviers (Christ on the Mount of Olives), above the arch to the left of the altar and close to the side entrance, painted by Delacroix in 1826.
#6 The Hôtel de Sully
Exit out the front of the church onto the busy rue Saint-Antoine. Your next destinations are the Hôtel de Sully and the place des Vosges, Paris’s oldest square. (Get your map out again.) With the church at your back, cross to the other side of rue Saint-Antoine and turn right. The Hôtel de Sully is just past the rue de Tourenne intersection on the left. Walk through the porch and into the courtyard.The Hôtel de Sully was completed in 1630. Sully, the minister of finance for Henri IV, purchased the hôtel in 1635. It is a fine example of Parisian architecture at the time of Louis XIII—richly ornamented and stylistically uniform. The ornamented double staircase and painted-beam ceilings have survived numerous renovations. I like the decorations in the ceiling of the entranceway!
#7 Place des Vosges
Go through the Hôtel de Sully, out the back door, and across the garden to the exit on the far right. Go into the “park” in the middle of the square (place des Vosges) and relax for a few minutes—notice the statue of Louis XIII. (If the Hôtel de Sully is closed, walk a little further down rue Saint-Antoine and turn left on rue de Birague. The place des Vosges is at the end of the street.)While you’re relaxing in the place de Vosges, admire the surrounding buildings, and read on to learn a little about the square called la place Royale until the French Revolution. In 1605, as part of his overall plan for Paris, Henri IV decided to create an elegant square in the Marais. The square would be a place where people could stroll, and where the royal court could hold public and private celebrations and carrousels (parades). Lots around the square were sold to members of the nobility who agreed to the steep slate roofs, the dormer windows, and the uniform facades of alternating red brick and stone you see now. The tallest construction on the south (the side you entered from) was the king’s pavilion, and the facing pavilion was built for the queen, naturally.Unfortunately, Henri IV died just before the square was completed; nevertheless, the square became a popular meeting place, and many royal celebrations—including weddings—were held here until the revolution. During the revolution, the statue of Louis XIII was destroyed; the replacement statue you see now was erected in 1829. After the revolution, the square was renamed for the first department to pay its taxes in 1800—les Vosges. Famous people who have lived here include Cardinal de Richelieu, at Number 21 (he outlawed duels on the square and had the statue of Louis XIII erected); Marie de Rabutin-Chantal,the Marquise de Sévigné, at 1 bis; and Victor Hugo, at Number 6.Speaking of Victor Hugo, you may visit the house he lived in from 1832 to 1848. Number 6 is located in the southeast corner of the square (you came into the square from the south).
#8 The musée Carnavalet
Your next destination is the musée Carnavalet. At the northwest corner of place des Vosges (diagonally across from Victor Hugo’s house), exit the place on rue des Francs Bourgeois. Take the sidewalk on the right and follow to rue de Sévigné. Cross the intersection and turn right. Immediately on your left is the main entrance into the Hôtel Carnavalet.The musée Carnavalet is one of my favorite museums in Paris! Construction on the original Hôtel Carnavalet began in 1548; François Mansart oversaw the 1655 remodel that brought it to its present appearance. It is a fine example of Parisian Renaissance architecture—note Mansart’s penchant for the classical style. (Also note that the buildings surrounding the three courtyards were built in the 1800s.) Madame de Sévigné lived here from 1677 until her death in 1696. Who was Madame de Sévigné? Her full name was Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné. During the time she lived in the Hôtel Carnavalet, she wrote witty letters to her daughter describing Paris life. Her letters are still read today—you might have read one or two of them in a French literature class.The hôtel now houses the musée Carnavalet (musée Historique de la Ville de Paris). You must visit this museum.* Le musée Carnavalet is an indispensable introduction to Paris, including the Marais. A series of rooms show you Paris from the Gallo-Roman period through the Middle Ages, the monarchy, the revolution, and nineteenth century to our day. What you will see in this museum will help you visualize how Paris must have been in past eras. There are wonderful paintings, scale models of the city, and reconstructions of complete rooms from important people and places—Marcel Proust’s bedroom, for example. You might even see a room decorated in art nouveau—one of my favorite styles.The museum is free. If you don’t have time to do a complete visit right now, you may return later and as often as you like! A complete tour takes two to three hours, but it is certainly worth it. To the left of the main entrance is a good bookshop where you may purchase an inexpensive “General Guide” to the museum. Of course, there is a free, color-coded plan (and restrooms) inside the museum. If you can’t visit the museum right now, or if you only want to take a peek and return later, get the free plan or buy a guide. The guide will help you decide what to focus on when you return. Some students like to return to visit the section that corresponds to the historical period they are currently studying in their courses.*Note: The musée Carnavalet is currently closed for renovation until the end of 2019. However, the museum’s website offers a series of guided tours and lectures to help you discover the wonders of Paris via its city streets. You may want to take advantage of this intriguing opportunity.
#9 Hôtel Châtillon and Hôtel Marle
After your stop at the Hôtel Carnavalet, leave the museum through the same door you entered, and go left on rue de Sévigné. At the end of the street, turn left and enter square Léopold-Achille, the garden parallel to rue du parc Royal. Then turn left on rue Payenne.At Number 13 rue Payenne, note the impressive wooden entranceway to the Hôtel Châtillon (built in 1677). Number 11 is the Hôtel Marle (built in the late sixteenth century); it is now home to the Swedish Cultural Center.
#10 Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris
To finish your tour of some of the most beautiful hôtels in the Marais, continue down rue Payenne and cross rue des Francs Bourgeois onto rue Pavée. On the corner to your left, where you see the tourelle overhanging the sidewalk, is the magnificent Hôtel d’Angoulême—also called the Hôtel de Lamoignon (finished in 1611).Go into the courtyard of the Hôtel de Lamoignon to see the six majestic Corinthian pilasters (columns built into the wall) that rise unbroken to the cornice (top part of the wall)—the earliest example of the “colossal” style used later in other buildings such as the Palais du Louvre. The Hôtel de Lamoignon is now la bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris (BHVP or the Historical Library of Paris). If you become a member of the library, you may go in to see the wonderful painted ceiling beams in the reading room. (To become a member, you will need to give them an ID photo, show them an ID card, and fill out a form they will give you!)
The End
It’s time to head home. As you leave the courtyard of the Hôtel de Lamoignon, turn left, and follow rue Malher all the way to rue Saint-Antoine and the Saint-Paul métro station. The station is almost in front of the église Saint-Paul Saint-Louis you visited earlier.After the WalkWhy not explore the Marais on your own? Even with the two walks, you’re only scratching the surface of this interesting area. There are a number of well-written guides in English and French. The bookstore at the musée Carnavalet is a good source for French guidebooks, and the W.H. Smith Bookstore on rue de Rivoli has a good selection of guides in English. Complete Marais Walk 2, and if you didn’t visit the musée Carnavalet, you have to do it. Métro Saint-Paul or métro Chemin Vert are the closest. Remember, the musée Carnavalet is free but closed on Monday. (Just another quick reminder that the museum is closed until the end of 2019).
