Petit Marché – Marché du Marais
The Marché des Enfants Rouges is located on Rue de Bretagne in the historic Quartier du Marais, near Place de la République.
Founded in 1615, it is the oldest covered market in Paris.
It was established to serve the needs of the growing community that had developed around the Donjon du Temple, which was part of the former fortified monastery built by the Knights Templar four centuries earlier.
Originally called the Petit Marché du Marais then simply the Marché du Marais, it consisted of a large wooden market hall that could accommodate numerous stalls selling everyday goods, primarily food.
Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest covered market in Paris
The Marché du Marais was renamed the Marché des Enfants Rouges (Market of the Red Children) at the end of the 18th century because it was located near the Hospice des Enfants Rouges, and orphanage-hospital founded in 1536 by Marguerite de Valois, sister of King Francis I.
The young residents of this institution, all orphans, wore red clothing, a symbol of Christian charity. The locals affectionately nicknamed them Enfants Rouges (Red Children). Although the orphanage closed in 1772, the name endured and remained inextricably linked to the market and the neighbourhood.
In 1912, the City of Paris acquired the Marché des Enfants Rouges and undertook its modernisation, building a fountain and installing a dairy with a dozen cows to provide fresh milk to the neighbourhood. This dairy operated until the outbreak of the First World War.
The Marché des Enfants Rouges (Red Children’s Market) was listed as a historical monument in 1982 and celebrated its 400th anniversary in November 2015.
Despite its modest appearance, the Marché des Enfants Rouges covers an area of 2,000 square meters.
It offers a variety of stalls, ranging from food and clothing to decorative items, but also small restaurants with terraces. Considered by locals as their “village square,” the market is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Directions: 3rd District – Quartier des Enfants Rouges – no39 Rue de Bretagne
Metro: Temple on Line 3 or Filles du Calvaire on Line 8
Coordinates: Lat 48.863022 – Long 2.361997
