Chapter I: Preface

This book, begun many years ago, was laid aside under the stress of other work, which did not, however, hinder the sedulous amassing of notes during my long and continuous residence in Paris. The appearance of the Marquis de Rochegude’s exhaustive work, on somewhat the same lines in a more extensive compass, took me by surprise, and I thought for a moment that it would render my book superfluous. The vast concourse of English-speaking people brought hither by the great war, people keen to learn the history of the beautiful old buildings they find here on every side, made me understand that an English book of relatively small compass was needed, and I set to work to finish the volume planned and begun so long ago.

I had made the personal acquaintance and consequent notes of most of the ancient “Stones of Paris” before looking up published notes concerning them. When such notes were looked up, I can only say their sources were far too numerous and too scattered to be recorded here. I must beg every one who may have published anything worth while on Old Paris to receive my thanks, for I have doubtless read their writings with interest and benefit. But I must offer special thanks to M. de Rochegude, for--writing under pressure to get the book ready for press--his work as a reference book, while pursuing my own investigations, has been invaluable.

To my readers I would say peruse what I have written, but use your own eyes, your own keen observation for learning much more than could be noted here. Look into every courtyard in the ancient quarters, look attentively at every dwelling along the old winding streets, and fail not to look up to their roofs. The roofs are never alike. They are strikingly picturesque. Old world builders did not work mechanically, did not raise streets in machine-like style, each structure exactly like its neighbour, one street barely distinguishable from the street running parallel or crossing it, according to the habit of to-day. The builders of _les jours d’antan_ loved their craft; every single house gave scope for some artistic trait. The roofs offered a fine field for architectural ingenuity: wonderfully planned windows, chimneys, balconies, gables are to be seen on the roofs often in most unexpected corners, in every part of the _Vieux Paris_. Look up!--I cannot urge this too strongly. And within every old _hôtel_--the French term for private house or mansion--examine each staircase. In the erection of a staircase the architect of past ages found grand scope for graceful lines, and exquisite workmanship. Thus walks even through the dimmest corners of _la Ville Lumière_ will be for lovers of old-time vestiges a joy for ever.

This was an iconoclastic age even before the destructiveness of the awful war just over. Precious architectural and historical relics were swept away to make room for brand-new buildings. As it has been impossible during the past months to verify in every instance the up-to-date accuracy of notes made previously, it is probable that some old structures referred to in these pages as still standing may no longer be found on the spot indicated. But whether in such cases their site be now an empty space, or occupied by newly built walls, it cannot fail to be interesting as the site where a vanished historic structure stood erewhile.

JETTA SOPHIA WOLFF.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THREE PALACES 1
II. AMONG OLD STREETS 22
III. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE GREAT MARKETS 35
IV. THE PALAIS DE JUSTICE 45
V. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE NATIONALE 51
VI. ROUND ABOUT ARTS ET MÉTIERS (THE ARTS AND CRAFTS INSTITUTION) 62
VII. THE TEMPLE 70
VIII. THE HOME OF MADAME DE SÉVIGNÉ 81
IX. NOTRE-DAME 86
X. L’ÎLE ST-LOUIS 92
XI. L’HÔTEL DE VILLE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS 94
XII. THE OLD QUARTIER ST-POL 112
XIII. La Place des Vosges 119
XIV. The Bastille 123
XV. In the Vicinity of Two Ancient Churches 126
XVI. In the Region of the Schools 137
XVII. La Montagne Ste-Geneviève 144
XVIII. IN THE VALLEY OF THE BIÈVRE 149
XIX. RUE ST-JACQUES 152
XX. LE JARDIN DES PLANTES 155
XXI. THE LUXEMBOURG 162
XXII. LES CARMES 168
XXIII. ON ANCIENT ABBEY GROUND 170
XXIV. IN THE VICINITY OF PLACE ST-MICHEL 181
XXV. L’ODÉON 184
XXVI. ROUND ABOUT THE CARREFOUR DE LA CROIX-ROUGE 186
XXVII. HÔTEL DES INVALIDES 190
XXVIII. OLD-TIME MANSIONS OF THE RIVE GAUCHE 194
XXIX. ANCIENT STREETS OF THE FAUBOURG SAINT-GERMAIN 203
XXX. THE MADELEINE AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD 208
XXXI. LES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES 213
XXXII. FAUBOURG ST-HONORÉ 216
XXXIII. PARC MONCEAU 221
XXXIV. IN THE VICINITY OF THE OPERA 223
XXXV. ON THE WAY TO MONTMARTRE 227
XXXVI. ON THE SLOPES OF THE _BUTTE_ 232
XXXVII. THREE ANCIENT FAUBOURGS 236
XXXVIII. IN THE PARIS “EAST END” 243
XXXIX. ON TRAGIC GROUND 246
XL. LES GOBELINS 251
XLI. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF PORT-ROYAL 256
XLII. IN THE SOUTH-WEST 260
XLIII. IN NEWER PARIS 263
XLIV. TOWARDS THE WESTERN BOUNDARY 269
XLV. LES TERNES 276
XLVI. ON THE _BUTTE_ 278
XLVII. AMONG THE COALYARDS AND THE MEAT-MARKETS 290
XLVIII. PÈRE-LACHAISE 292
XLIX. BOULEVARDS--QUAYS--BRIDGES 297
L. LES BOULEVARDS EXTÉRIEURS 309
LI. THE QUAYS 320
LII. LES PONTS 337

ILLUSTRATIONS

La Tour de L’Horloge, les “Tour pointues” de la
Conciergerie et le Marché aux Fleurs _Frontispiece_

PAGE
Le Vieux Louvre 3
The Louvre of To-day 5
Palais des Tuileries 9
Palais-Royal 15
L’Église St-Germain-l’Auxerrois 20
Place et Colonne Vendôme 31
Portail de St-Eustache 37
La Tour de L’Horloge, les “Tours Pointues” de
la Conciergerie et le Marché aux Fleurs 46
La Sainte-Chapelle 48
Rue Quincampoix 63
St-Nicolas-des-Champs 65
Rue Beaubourg 67
La Porte du Temple 71
Porte de Clisson 75
Ruelle de Sourdis 77
Hôtel Vendôme, Rue Béranger 79
Notre-Dame 87
Rue Massillon 89
Place de Grève 95
La Tour St-Jacques 97
View across the Seine from Place du Châtelet 99
Rue Brisemiche 101
L’Église St-Gervais 103
Hôtel de Beauvais, Rue François-Miron 105
Rue Vieille-du-Temple 109
Rue Éginhard 113
Rue du Prévôt 115
Hôtel de Sens 117
Rue de Birague, Place des Vosges 121
La Bastille 124
Rue St-Séverin 127
Église St-Séverin 129
Hôtel Louis XV, Rue de la Parcheminerie 131
St-Julien-le-Pauvre 133
Bas-relief, Rue Galande 134
Le Musée de Cluny 139
St-Étienne-du-Mont 145
Interior of St-Étienne-du-Mont 147
Rue Mouffetard et St-Médard 150
Jardin et Palais du Luxembourg 163
L’Abbaye St-Germain-des-Prés 171
Cour de Rohan 179
Rue Hautefeuille 183
Castel de la Reine Blanche 253
La Salpétrière 255
Rue des Eaux, Passy 271
St-Pierre de Montmartre 281
Vieux Montmartre, Rue St-Vincent 282
Rue Mont-Cenis: Chapelle de la Trinité 283
Vieux Montmartre: Cabaret du Lapin-Agile 284
Moulin de la Galette 287
Le Mur des Fédérés 295
Old Well at Salpétrière 311
Cloître de l’Abbaye de Port-Royal 315
Remains of the Convent des Capucins 317
Hôtel de Fieubet, Quai des Célestins 325
Quai des Grands-Augustins 333
Le Pont des Arts et l’Institut 338
Pont-Neuf 339

HISTORIC PARIS