Paris 18th District
Paris 18th district is better known as Quartier de la Butte Montmartre.
It includes: Quartier de Clignancourt, Quartier de la Chapelle, Quartier de la Goutte d’Or and Quartier des Grandes Carrières.
This lively, history-laden district was born from the merger of the artistic district on the Butte de Montmartre with the working-class villages of Clignancourt and La Chapelle below.
The QUARTIER DE CLIGNANCOURT was named after the hamlet of Clenini Curtis, which developed on the lands of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, at the crossroads of the present-day Rue Marcadet and Rue du Mont-Cenis.
The modern-day Clignancourt district is divided into two distinct parts: Haut-Clignancourt extends over the slopes of the Montmartre, and Bas-Clignancourt at the crossroads of the Rue de Clignancourt, Rue Ramey, and Rue des Poissonniers. The most densely populated district of Paris, it constitutes a true cultural melting pot where the bourgeoisie, working classes and artists coexist harmoniously. It boasts magnificent private gardens and charming courtyards that give this area an old-world charm.
The QUARTIER DE LA CHAPELLE was named after the community that developed near a chapel built in a natural depression along the old Gallic road linking Paris to northern France. This pass, known as Pas de la Chapelle or La Chapelle-Saint-Denis, also belonged to the Abbey of St-Denis. Joan of Arc established her camp there in 1429, before besieging and liberating Paris from English occupation. It is said that she prayed in the chapel and invoked the protection of Saint-Denis before hand.
The village changed in the 1780s when the Wall of the General Farmers was built at the foot of the Montmartre Hill. Merchants had to pay customs duties at toll gates before entering Paris to sell their goods. The section of the wall running along Montmartre had several toll gates, which soon attracted numerous cabarets, inns, music halls and places of entertainment. This tax wall was dismantled and replaced by the current Boulevard de Clichy and Boulevard Rochechouart, which became hot-spots of nightlife, home to the iconic Moulin Rouge.
La Chapelle and Clignancourt were merged in the 19th century, and attracted a large working-class population during the construction of the nearby Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est and Gare Saint-Lazare. The two villages were annexed to Paris in 1860.
The QUARTIER DE LA GOUTTE D’OR was renowned in the 15th century for its vineyards, owned by the influential Abbey of Montmartre, which produced an excellent white wine, hence its name (goutte d’or – golden drop). Today, the Goutte d’Or district is predominantly populated by African immigrants.
The QUARTIER DES GRANDES CARRIÈRES includes the Cimetière de Montmartre, at the foot of the hill. This district was named after the old gypsum quarries that were worked until the 18th century to produce the famous Parisian plaster. The cemetery was created in the largest of these quarries.
From the 11th century until the French Revolution, Montmartre experienced remarkable growth under the patronage of its influential abbey. The district later became the epicentre of the Paris Commune in 1871, then a haven for artists from the Belle-Epoque to the First World War.
Montmartre has preserved many emblematic monuments from its exceptional past: the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and Saint-Pierre de Montmartre Church, one of the oldest in Paris, the superb Art Nouveau Church of Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre and Metro entrance ‘Abbesses’ on the Place des Abbesses, as well as modern art installations like Le Mur des Je t’aime and Le Passe-Muraille.
Once neglected and abandoned, the Paris 18th district is undergoing major renovation and has become a highly sought-after area.
Metro stations serving Paris 18th District
Line 2: Place de Clichy, Blanche, Pigalle, Anvers, Barbès-Rochechouart, La Chapelle, Stalingrad
Line 4: Porte de Clignancourt, Simplon, Marcadet-Poissonniers, Château Rouge, Barbès-Rochechouart
Line 12: Porte de la Chapelle, Max Dormoy, Marcadet-Poissonniers, Jules Joffrin, Lamarck-Caulaincourt, Abbesses, Pigalle
Line 13: Porte de St-Ouen, La Fourche, Guy Môquet, Place de Clichy
