Quartier Saint Paul
The Quartier Saint Paul is part of the historic Marais district. This charming district is encompassed within the Rue du Petit-Musc, the Rue Saint-Antoine, the Rue de Fourcy, the Rue des Nonnains d’Hyères, and the Seine River.
For centuries, a large part of the Right Bank was a vast marsh (marais), hence its name, formed by an ancient meander of the river.
At the end of the 12th century, King Philip-Augustus had a rampart built before departing for the Third Crusade. This wall enclosed open land, meadows, vineyards, and a few hamlets that had developed near the Grand Pont, the bridge that connected the Right Bank to the Île de la Cité.
During the 13th century, the monks of the monks of Abbey of Saint-Martin-des-Champs and the Knights Templar drained the marshlands to build their monasteries.
The Right Bank, however, remained sparsely populated until the 14th century, when King Charles V commissioned the construction of a new rampart to encompass additional land and stimulate the development of the Marais.
Philippe-Auguste Wall
The ramparts of King Philip-Augustus protected Paris for nearly 150 years, but they eventually became obsolete as Paris expanded and evolved.
However, they were not demolished and often served as foundations for new constructions, or were incorporated into these structures. This is why so many remains of this rampart are still visible today.
You will find two watchtowers and a large, superbly restored section of the ramparts in the Saint-Paul district.
An impressive section of the wall stretches from the intersection of Avenue de l’Ave Maria and Rue des Jardins Saint-Paul to the rear of the Church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis.
They are entirely integrated within the grounds of the Lycée Charlemagne and define the western edge of the playground.
Hôtel Saint-Pol
The Quartier Saint Paul is one of the most picturesque and historically rich neighbourhoods in Paris.
It takes its name from the former Hôtel Saint-Pol, the residence that King Charles V had built in the 14th century to escape the nuisances of city life (yes, even then!) but also to quickly take refuge in the keep of Vincennes, should another revolt break out. Indeed, he was still reeling from the revolt of the Parisian bourgeois led by provost Étienne Marcel in 1358, a revolt during which several of his ministers were assassinated before his eyes.
Passionate about architecture, Charles V designed the plans for his new palace and acquired four private mansions located around what is now Rue Charles V to realize his project
Once his Hôtel Saint-Pol was completed in 1365, he left the old and austere fortress of the Louvre. Charles V also commissioned the provost of Paris, Hugues Aubriot, to build the Bastille fortress and to extend Philip-Augustus’s rampart to the Seine to encircle and protect his new royal residence.
Quartier Saint-Paul
King Francis I had the Hôtel Saint-Pol demolished at the beginning of the 16th century to develop the area now known as the Quartier Saint Paul.
Fortunately, this enclave of the Marais escaped the massive destruction that accompanied Haussmann‘s urban renewal projects in Paris in the mid-19th century.
Its preservation was secured when it was designated a “protected zone” in the early 1960s, thanks to the preservation law enacted by André Malraux, the Minister of Culture. The Loi Malraux indeed rules urban planning and measures to safeguard historic districts.
Unfortunately, a few private mansions had already been demolished by the time the Quartier Saint Paul was granted its protected status! However, it has retained much of its 17th-century classical architecture and medieval character.
It indeed still boasts many exceptional buildings, such as the Hôtel de Sens, as well as numerous, picturesque streets and charming courtyards, alleyways and passages.
A stroll in the medieval lanes of the Quartier Saint Paul
The Quartier Saint Paul was thus entirely developed on the site of the Hôtel Saint-Pol and its grounds, the memory of which it preserves through its street names.
Rue Charles V was created in 1522 on the site of the Hôtel Saint-Pol. The Hôtel d’Aubray, at No. 2, was built in 1620.
Rue Beautreillis (Beautiful Trellis)was created in 1555 and retains the memory of the royal gardens. The houses at Nos. 7 and 9 date from 1596 and are the oldest in the Quartier Saint Paul.
Unfortunately, the early 17th-century Hôtel Raoul was demolished in the early 1960s, just before the enactment of the Malraux Law. Only a few vestiges remain, such as its entrance portal at No. 6 and the Dolphin Clock crafted in the 1850s.
The name Rue des Lions-Saint-Paul refers either to the lions painted in 1364 on the entrance door of the Hôtel Saint-Pol, or to the royal zoo. This street is lined with superb private mansions, including the 18th-century Hôtel de Launay at No. 12 and the Hôtel des Parlementaires at No. 3. You will also find a small stone lion’s head carved on the facade of one of the buildings, a nod to the past!
One of the neighbourhood’s most charming and historic alleyways is the Rue Eginhard, opened in 1367!
The iconic Hôtel Fieubet on Rue du Petit-Musc, built by the renowned architect Hardouin-Mansart in 1680, underwent a Rococo-style restoration in the 1860s and is stunning!
Village Saint-Paul
The Village Saint-Paul is nestled between Rue des Jardins Saint-Paul, Rue Saint-Paul, Rue Charlemagne, and Rue de l’Ave Maria.
It has undergone a remarkable transformation since its complete restoration in the 1960s.
Today, it is considered the Parisian paradise for antique dealers, attracting visitors from all over the world eager to explore its charming alleyways and unearth hidden treasures.
It indeed boasts more than 80 art galleries, designer boutiques, home decor shops, and antique stores.
These establishments are scattered throughout a delightful maze of alleyways, narrow passages, and interconnected courtyards.
A must-see, far from the beaten path!
Directions: 4th district
Metro: Saint-Paul on Line 1 or Sully-Morland on Line 7
Coordinates: Lat 48.852620 – Long 2.363273
