“Ever heard of the street where kings were made and masterpieces were born?” I ask you as we approach Avenue Augustine. This isn’t just any street in Paris. Avenue Augustine is a place where history art and revolution intertwine.
Avenue Augustine owes its name to the convent. The convent of the Grands Augustins once stood here. This religious house played a crucial role in French history.
Let’s step back to May 14 1610. King Henri IV was assassinated. His young son Louis XIII was inside the Convent des Grands Augustins. Just an hour after his father’s death Louis was recognized as the new King of France within these very walls.
The Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit gathered here. They acknowledged Louis as the legitimate successor. The formal coronation occurred later in Reims.
The convent itself met its end during the French Revolution. Yet Avenue Augustine remains a silent witness to that pivotal moment. The Relais Louis XIII restaurant commemorates this event. You can see the inscription outside. It marks the spot where young Louis XIII was proclaimed king.
However Avenue Augustine isn’t just about royalty and political intrigue. It’s also an artistic haven. Pablo Picasso lived and worked at number 7. This building gave him kinship to the old master in the Balzac story. He occupied this space from 1937 to 1955. He even weathered the Nazi occupation here.
During the Spanish Civil War the Germans bombed Guernica. With Dora Maar’s encouragement Picasso created his masterpiece “Guernica” here. It became one of his most controversial works. Today the building is overseen by the Picasso Foundation. There are rumors it may finally open as a museum.
Imagine Picasso walking through those doors each day. He climbed to his studio ready to paint. He painted one masterpiece after another on Avenue Augustine.
Picasso wasn’t the only artist drawn to this street. Robert Delaunay moved to number 3 in 1912. He lived here with his wife Sonia a fellow artist. Delaunay helped create Orphism a branch of Cubism. His friend Guillaume Apollinaire named it.
Delaunay painted the Eiffel Tower. He broke down objects and filled the pieces with light. You can find many of his paintings in the Musée d’Art Moderne.
Look closely at numbers 8 and 10. You’ll see the exposed chestnut beams of the former Hotel de Bussy. The initials EB mark the original owners. Alexandre Dumas used this address in his book “The Dame de Monsoreau.”
Look to the left of the door. There is a cast iron plaque with the seal of Paris. These markers helped measure water flow in the city. The one on Avenue Augustine is the finest example left.
Above the marker is an indention in the stone. Niches like these held oil lamps. Lamplighters would fill them each day. Only two of these remain in Paris. This one is in perfect condition.
Towards the end of Avenue Augustine at number 28 sits Roger La Grenouille. This classic French bistro opened in 1930. Picasso and Saint-Exupéry dined here. Even Pope John XXIII has walked through its doors.
Avenue Augustine offers more than meets the eye. It’s a journey through Parisian history and art. It’s a reminder that even the shortest street can hold immense stories. As we continue our tour consider the layers of history beneath your feet.