Introduction
Begin: Cluny La SorbonneEnd: JussieuTime: Four to five hoursOn this walk, you will visit the two oldest visible structures in Paris and walk through the heart of the old Quartier latin (Latin Quarter).Corry L. Cropper
#1 Thermes
Begin the walk at the corner of boulevard Saint-Michel and boulevard Saint-Germain, and walk up boulevard Saint-Michel (away from place Saint-Michel).As you walk, you will see ruins of the medieval hôtel built to accommodate monks traveling to Paris, and below ground, you will see the remains of thermes, Roman baths that date from the second century. The baths originally covered about three times as much ground as the block on which the museum now stands.
#2 Musée de Cluny
Turn left on rue du Sommerard, and walk until you come to the museum entrance at 28 rue de Sommerard.As you enter the courtyard, notice both the architecture of the remaining portion of the fifteenth-century hôtel (which houses the museum) and the fifteenth-century well to your right. The musée de Cluny (formally known as the musée national du Moyen Âge) takes about an hour to go through. Highlights include the original sculptures from Notre Dame de Paris (torn down during the French Revolution), the Gallo-Roman baths, medieval reliquaries, and, of course, the breathtaking fifteenth or sixteenth-century tapestry series La Dame à la licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn).
#3 The Sorbonne
Return to boulevard Saint-Michel and take a left (away from the Seine). Cross rue des Écoles and turn left at place de la Sorbonne. In front of you is the Chapelle de la Sorbonne surrounded by classrooms and offices that make up the modern Sorbonne (comprised of the universities Paris I, Paris III, and Paris IV).The Sorbonne, founded by Robert de Sorbon in 1257, trained future theologians. In fact, this area is now called the Quartier latin because the future theologians all studied and spoke Latin (not because the Romans once lived here). The Sorbonne has historically been a launching pad for social unrest and riots, particularly in 1968 and again in 2006. As a result, access to the inner courtyard and the school itself is limited to students and professors.
#4 Collège de France
Turn left, walk down rue de la Sorbonne, then turn right on rue des Écoles. Look across the street and on your left to see the statue of Montaigne—a thinker, author, and politician in the sixteenth century. Take a right on rue Saint-Jacques. On your left, about 100 meters from rue des Écoles, through a gate, you will see the entrance and courtyard of the Collège de France.The Collège de France, founded in the sixteenth century under the direction of François I, was meant to be a humanist alternative to the ultra-conservative Sorbonne. The "profane" languages of Greek and Hebrew were taught in addition to Latin. Today, the Collège de France is mainly a research institution and provides lectures open to the public.
#5 The Panthéon
Continue up rue Saint-Jacques and turn left on rue Soufflot (named after le Panthéon’s architect).The Panthéon, or temple of the nation, was originally built as a church dedicated to Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, who, according to legend, saved Paris from the Huns in 451 CE. As the finishing touches were being put on Sainte-Geneviève, the revolution broke out, and in 1791, the new Republic decided to transform the church into a final resting place for the great men of the nation. Mirabeau was the first to be “pantheonized,” followed by Voltaire and Marat, although, when it was discovered that Mirabeau had participated in a royalist plot, his remains were the first to be removed.Here are a few things to look for in the Panthéon: murals depicting historical and religious scenes (Clovis’ baptism; the life of Joan of Arc; the martyrdom of Saint Denis); murals by well-known artists, such as Cabanel (Vie de Saint Louis in the north transept); Puvis de Chavannes (L’enfance de Sainte Geneviève on the south side as you enter the nave), and the cupola painted by Gros; a giant pendulum by Foucault, proving the rotation of the earth; and the tombs of Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola, and Marie and Pierre Curie in the crypt.
#6 Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
As you exit the Panthéon, turn right and walk around behind the Panthéon toward rue Clovis where you can enter the church Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.Saint-Étienne-du-Mont was originally a monastery (parts of which still exist at the back of the church). The church was built in the thirteenth century but was extensively rebuilt from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. With some exceptions, it is largely a Renaissance church. Of particular interest are the vaults and windows in the nave and transept, the bell tower, and the rood screen across the nave (considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance). Continuing with a theme of the deceased, you will see the final resting places of Pascal, a seventeenth-century mathematician and philosopher; Racine, a playwright for Louis XIV; and a reliquary containing part of Saint Geneviève’s sarcophagus (revolutionaries burned her remains in 1793).
#7 The old City Wall
After leaving the church, continue down rue Clovis.On your right, you will see remains of the old city wall constructed in 1210, at the same time as the Conciergerie. The old wall surrounded Paris during the reign of Philippe Auguste.
#8 Place de la Contrescarpe
After passing the old wall, turn right on rue du Cardinal Lemoine and continue until you come to a small square complete with a fountain that looks like it should be in a little country town instead of the heart of Paris.This is place de la Contrescarpe and the beginning of rue Mouffetard, a famous Parisian market street with some of the oldest boutiques in Paris. Walk up rue Mouffetard if you have some extra time.
#9 Arènes de Lutèce
After taking in place de la Contrescarpe, go back down rue du Cardinal Lemoine and turn right on rue Rollin. Continue on rue Rollin, go down the stairs, cross rue Monge, and walk onto the rue de Navarre. On your left are the Arènes de Lutèce, named after the Roman city, Lutetia.These Roman Arènes de Lutèce, unearthed in the nineteenth century, was originally built at the end of the first century CE. It likely accommodated plays and human-against-animal combats for some fifteen thousand spectators. In fact, you will see the animal cages if you look at the base of the bleachers. This arena and the baths at Cluny are the only Roman structures still visible in Paris today.
The End
Leave the Arènes de Lutèce the way you came in, turn left on rue des Arènes, then left again on rue Linné, where you will come to place Jussieu and a métro station (Lines 7 and 10).After the WalkFor a little more charm, take a short walk to place Monge (back up rue de Navarre and left onto rue Monge) where there is also a métro stop (Line 7). If you happen to be here on a Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday, place Monge is home to one of Paris’s most famous farmers’ markets.
