Rue de l'Abbaye
Encyclopedia
Rue de l'Abbaye is a commercial street in the VIe arrondissement
of Paris
, named after the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
. It has a length of some 170m and runs from the Rue Guillaume Apollinaire to the Rue de l'Echaudé. The street itself dates from 1800 although the land it runs over has a much longer history.
:
was founded by Childebert
, son of Clovis
, in 543 to house relics brought from the siege of Saragossa
the previous year. These included the tunic of Saint-Vincent and a cross of gold from Toledo
; in consequence, the church and abbey were originally known as Saint-Vincent and Sainte-Croix. The church was founded somewhat later in 557 by Germain, Bishop of Paris, who was buried there in 576. A small market town grew up around the religious centre which became a place of pilgrimage and whose name changed to Saint-Germain-des-Prés
("of the meadows") in the 9th century. The Merovingian kings of France were also buried here — the tombs all disappearing during the French Revolution
.
Around 1000 a new Romanesque church with three bell towers was built. Two of these were knocked down in 1821 due to their state of decomposition from the saltpetre in the gunpowder stored there during the French Revolution. The third bell tower still remains.
The abbot's palace (Palais Abbatial), commissioned by Charles de Bourbon
in 1586, is still occupied (Nos 1-5). The abbot's garden also exists to this day and was the scene of one of the most sombre episodes of the French Revolution
, the September Massacres
of the 2nd to 5 September 1792.
The street was built in 1800 by driving a way through the abbey grounds which had been taken over by the new Republic. The old refectory and part of the chapel were destroyed in the creation of the street which was initially known as rue de la Paix, became rue Neuve de l'Abbaye in 1809 and settled on its current name in 1815. As recently as 1951, that portion of the original street between Rue Bonaparte
and Rue Saint-Benoît was renamed Rue Guillaume Apollinaire after the poet Guillaume Apollinaire
.
VIe arrondissement
The 6th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It includes world famous educational institutions such as the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris and the Académie française, the seat of the French Senate as well as a concentration of some of Paris most...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, named after the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just beyond the outskirts of early medieval Paris, was the burial place of Merovingian kings of Neustria...
. It has a length of some 170m and runs from the Rue Guillaume Apollinaire to the Rue de l'Echaudé. The street itself dates from 1800 although the land it runs over has a much longer history.
Transportation
The area is served by the following stations of the Paris MétroParis Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
:
- Saint-Germain-des-PrésSaint-Germain-des-Prés (Paris Metro)Saint-Germain-des-Prés is a station on line 4 of the Paris Métro, serving the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area in the heart of the Left Bank in the 6th arrondissement....
(approx. 90 m from the westernmost end of the street) - MabillonMabillon (Paris Metro)Mabillon is a station on line 10 of the Paris Metro in the heart of the Left Bank and the 6th arrondissement.The station opened on 10 March 1925 as part of the line's extension from Croix Rouge . It was the eastern teminus of the line until its extension to Odéon on 14 April 1926...
(approx. 100 m from the easternmost end of the street).
History
The Benedictine abbeyBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
was founded by Childebert
Childebert I
Childebert I was the Frankish king of Paris, a Merovingian dynast, one of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511...
, son of Clovis
Clovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
, in 543 to house relics brought from the siege of Saragossa
Siege of Saragossa
Siege of Saragossa may refer to:*Siege of Saragossa , in which the city's inhabitants resisted the French during the Peninsular War*Siege of Saragossa , in which the city fell to the French...
the previous year. These included the tunic of Saint-Vincent and a cross of gold from Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
; in consequence, the church and abbey were originally known as Saint-Vincent and Sainte-Croix. The church was founded somewhat later in 557 by Germain, Bishop of Paris, who was buried there in 576. A small market town grew up around the religious centre which became a place of pilgrimage and whose name changed to Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is an area of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés....
("of the meadows") in the 9th century. The Merovingian kings of France were also buried here — the tombs all disappearing during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Around 1000 a new Romanesque church with three bell towers was built. Two of these were knocked down in 1821 due to their state of decomposition from the saltpetre in the gunpowder stored there during the French Revolution. The third bell tower still remains.
The abbot's palace (Palais Abbatial), commissioned by Charles de Bourbon
Charles de Bourbon
Charles de Bourbon may refer to:* Charles I, Duke of Bourbon * Charles II, Duke of Bourbon , also Cardinal and archbishop of Lyon* Charles III, Duke of Bourbon , Bourbon-Montpensier...
in 1586, is still occupied (Nos 1-5). The abbot's garden also exists to this day and was the scene of one of the most sombre episodes of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the September Massacres
September Massacres
The September Massacres were a wave of mob violence which overtook Paris in late summer 1792, during the French Revolution. By the time it had subsided, half the prison population of Paris had been executed: some 1,200 trapped prisoners, including many women and young boys...
of the 2nd to 5 September 1792.
The street was built in 1800 by driving a way through the abbey grounds which had been taken over by the new Republic. The old refectory and part of the chapel were destroyed in the creation of the street which was initially known as rue de la Paix, became rue Neuve de l'Abbaye in 1809 and settled on its current name in 1815. As recently as 1951, that portion of the original street between Rue Bonaparte
Rue Bonaparte
Rue Bonaparte is a street in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was named after Napoleon I on 12 August 1852....
and Rue Saint-Benoît was renamed Rue Guillaume Apollinaire after the poet Guillaume Apollinaire
Guillaume Apollinaire
Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary Kostrowicki, known as Guillaume Apollinaire was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic born in Italy to a Polish mother....
.
Composition
- The original abbot's palace has been the office of the Société impériale et centrale d'Agriculture (Imperial and Central Agricultural Company) for a number of years. This building has also, over the years, housed a number of well-known artists, such as Jean Francois Gigoux, and Jean-Jacques Pradier.
- The tomb of René DescartesRené DescartesRené Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
is currently in the church of Saint Germain-des-Prés. - Le Petit Zinc cafe is on the corner of Rue Saint Benoit and what was Rue de l'Abbaye (now Rue Guillaume Apollinaire). Its facade is a notable example of the Art Nouveau Guimard style, named from the architect Hector GuimardHector GuimardHector Guimard was an architect, who is now the best-known representative of the French Art Nouveau style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
, which can also be seen in the 60 or so Métro entrances he designed. - The Square Laurent-Prache was opened to the public in 1901. It was created on that part of the ruins of the abbey where the house of Alphonse DaudetAlphonse DaudetAlphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the father of Léon Daudet and Lucien Daudet.- Early life :Alphonse Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the bourgeoisie. The father, Vincent Daudet, was a silk manufacturer — a man dogged through life by misfortune...
had stood. - A head of Dora MaarDora MaarDora Maar was a French photographer, poet and painter, best known for being a lover and muse of Pablo Picasso.-Life:...
by Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
, (started in 1918 and completed in 1941), as a memorial to his recently deceased friend Guillaume Apollinaire was installed in the Square Laurent-Prache on June 5, 1959 and has now been returned after a short sojourn in front of the Mairie d'Osny in the Val-de-Oise department. This statue was stolen during the night of 30-31 March 1999, resurfacing a month later as an 'objet d'art' at the Hôtel de Ville in Osny. - The UPQ St Germain-des-Prés (Unité de Police de Quartier or local police unit) is at 14 rue de l'Abbaye.