A whisper of history. That’s what Avenue Leroy des Barres offers. Not a grand avenue but a quiet street. It holds secrets in the shadows of grander Parisian streets.
Avenue Leroy des Barres. It’s not a well-known name. But it sits in the Marais district. This area is packed with history. Rue des Barres a similar-sounding street is a short street with a medieval past. It was named after a defensive barrier. That barrier once stood along the Seine River. Vikings and all that.
Rue des Barres even appears on a 1550 map of Paris. The map shows the street running between other historic streets. This map unusually shows north to the left. The map shows the Moulin des Barres. This was a water-powered mill on the Seine River.
A mansion called Hotel des Barres once stood on Rue des Barres. This was built around 1250. Louis de Boisredon captain of the Queen’s Bodyguards bought it later. He was also the Queen’s lover. A small slight to the King led to Louis’s arrest. He was thrown into the Seine in a sack. The sack had this message: Let the justice of the King pass.
We don’t know if this happened on Rue des Barres. But we like to imagine it. This street is near the Seine River. It climbs steps towards the Marais. The charming Cafe Louis Philippe sits near the Seine end.
Nearby is the Eglise Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais church. A church has stood here since the 7th century. The current church was built over 150 years. It was completed around 1650. Tragedy struck during a Good Friday service in 1918. A German shell landed killing 88 people.
Historic buildings line the street. Number 12 dates back to an abbey. Number 15 is a house from 1624. Avenue Leroy des Barres may be less known. It shares the spirit of the Marais district. It whispers stories of the past. Take a moment to listen.