Impasse des Vignes

Once upon a time Impasse des Vignes was not a quiet alley. It was Rue des Vignes a bustling street. This was because of a vineyard that once stood there. The street even extended to Rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve. A cemetery for plague victims was nearby. Impasse des Vignes had a grim reputation. People called it a cutthroat place. In 1691 the Dames de la Providence got permission to remove parts of Rue des Marionnettes and Rue des Vignes. A contract in 1694 gave them the land. Letters patent in 1695 confirmed this for ninety-nine years. After the Dames de la Providence were dissolved in 1790 the buildings and land were sold. That included the land of Rue des Vignes. Impasse des Vignes is narrow its width varies. Number 3 housed the orphanage of the Holy Infant Jesus and the Mother of Purity. It was founded around 1700. The orphans acquired a neighboring house in 1711 for classrooms a refectory and a chapel. Letters patent from 1717 confirmed this. Charitable people established places for orphans. Girls could enter if they lacked a parent. They could stay until age twenty. This community was secular run by pious women. In 1754 they were replaced by girls from Saint Thomas de Villeneuve. Now the building houses a community of Ladies of Charity. Opposite the orphanage was a boarding house for women with dementia. It was called the Community of Saint-Simon-Salus. A small chapel was built in 1696. We don’t know when this establishment closed but it existed in 1782. Impasse des Vignes is a reminder of a vibrant past. It speaks of disease charity and the changing face of Paris. The narrow alley whispers of a time when vineyards thrived where buildings now stand. The Impasse des Vignes is more than just a street. It is a window into Parisian history.