“Rue de l’Abbaye. Its name recalls a rich past.” That’s how our exploration of this historic street begins. Rue de l’Abbaye is a residential street in Paris’s 6th arrondissement. It’s named after the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Imagine walking along Rue de l’Abbaye. It stretches about 170 meters. It runs from Rue Guillaume Apollinaire to Rue de l’Echaudé. This street might seem short. But its history is long.
Rue de l’Abbaye dates back to 1800. The land beneath it has stories from long before. The abbey’s side entrance stands tall. So does the former abbot’s residence. These buildings date back to 1586. Today, the Catholic Institute of France calls it home.
Let’s rewind to the 6th century. Childebert, son of Clovis, founded the Benedictine abbey in 543. It was built to house relics. These relics came from the Siege of Saragossa. They included Saint Vincent’s tunic and a gold cross from Toledo. The church was originally known as Saint-Vincent and Sainte-Croix. Germain, the Bishop of Paris, founded the church later in 557. He was buried there in 576.
A small market town grew around the abbey. It became a place of pilgrimage. The name changed to Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 9th century. This means “of the meadows.” The Merovingian kings of France were buried here. Sadly, their tombs disappeared during the French Revolution.
Around the year 1000, a new Romanesque church appeared. It had three bell towers. Two towers fell in 1821. Gunpowder was stored there during the French Revolution. Saltpetre caused decomposition. Only one bell tower remains.
The Abbot’s Palace still stands at numbers 1 to 5. Charles de Bourbon commissioned it in 1586. The abbot’s garden still exists. It was the site of the September Massacres in 1792. This was a dark episode of the French Revolution.
In 1800, the street was built through the abbey grounds. The new Republic had taken over the land. The old refectory and part of the chapel were destroyed. It was first named Rue de la Paix. Then it became Rue Neuve de l’Abbaye in 1809. Finally, it settled on Rue de l’Abbaye in 1815.
In 1951, a section of the street changed again. The part between Rue Bonaparte and Rue Saint-Benoît became Rue Guillaume Apollinaire. This honored the poet Guillaume Apollinaire.
The Abbot’s Palace is special. It’s the second building in Paris made of brick and stone. It now belongs to the Catholic Institute of Paris. Over the years, famous artists lived here. These include Jean Francois Gigoux and Jean-Jacques Pradier.
At 4-6 rue de l’Abbaye stands an Art Nouveau building. Architect Charles Labro designed it. It was one of the six best new facades in Paris in 1901. Jules Lavirotte and Hector Guimard also received this honor in other years.
Le Petit Zinc café sits on the corner of Rue Saint-Benoit. It is also on what was once Rue de l’Abbaye. Now, it’s Rue Guillaume Apollinaire. Its facade shows Hector Guimard’s Art Nouveau style. You can see this style in the Paris Métro entrances he designed.
The Square Laurent-Prache opened in 1901. It’s on the abbey ruins where Alphonse Daudet’s house once stood. A head of Dora Maar by Pablo Picasso stands in the Square Laurent-Prache. It’s a memorial to Guillaume Apollinaire. The statue was stolen in 1999 but later recovered.
Rue de l’Abbaye carries layers of Parisian history. From its abbey origins to its artistic residents. The street has witnessed centuries of change. Take a stroll along Rue de l’Abbaye. You will feel the echoes of the past.