Cimetière des Innocents, Paris’ oldest cemetery
The Fontaine des Innocents is situated at the center of Place Joachim du Bellay near Les Halles.
This square was formerly known as Place du Marché des Innocents, the site of a vegetable market established on the grounds of the Cimetière des Innocents.
The Cimetière des Innocents was established in the 9th century. It was the oldest cemetery in Paris, serving the city’s population for centuries. It was attached to the Eglise des Saints-Innocents, a modest chapel built in the 12th century, and dedicated to the children killed in Judea by King Herod’s order.
The cemetery was decommissioned in 1780 due to overcrowding and sanitation concerns. It had indeed become far too small to serve the 22 surrounding parishes.
The bones of 2 million people were relocated to the Catacombs, the underground necropolis of Paris on the left bank, and the church was demolished in 1788, leaving the area to be repurposed.
Fontaine des Innocents, a French Renaissance masterpiece
The Fontaine des Innocents was designed by architect Pierre Lescot and sculpted by Jean Goujon in 1549, and is a superb illustration of French Renaissance architecture.
It was originally part of the Eglise des Saints-Innocents, serving as a three-sided structure that complemented the church.
It was disassembled in 1860 and moved to its current location. A fourth facade, matching the original three, was added to complete the pavilion design.
The fountain is a square pavilion topped with a cupola roofed with fish-scale-shaped metal sheets.
Water overflows from a bronze cauldron and cascades into the superimposed basins at the base. Each of the four facades features an arch flanked by two naiads and two Corinthian columns, showcasing the intricate sculptural work of Jean Goujon.
The Fontaine des Innocents is the oldest monumental fountain in Paris, and was listed as a Historical Monument in 1862!
Directions: 1st District – Place Joachim du Bellay
Metro and RER A,B,D : Les Halles-Châtelet on Lines 1, 4, 7
Coordinates: Lat 48.860627 – Long 2.348097
