“A hidden gem,” a Parisian might whisper, leading you down a quiet side street. Avenue de la Réunion. This unassuming avenue, nestled in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, holds a secret history. Avenue de la Réunion connects two distinct neighborhoods, Père-Lachaise and Charonne. Its name, meaning “reunion,” speaks to its purpose. It once united the two halves of the village of Charonne, grand and petit.
Avenue de la Réunion began its life in 1849. Originally, parts of it bore different names, reflecting the divided past. One section was known as Rue du Centre. Another was the Impasse Bouland, named after a local landowner. But eventually, the avenue embraced its unifying role. By 1863, the entire stretch from Rue d’Avron to Place de la Réunion was officially christened Avenue de la Réunion. Later, even the Impasse Bouland section, extended to the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, joined under the same name.
This avenue is more than just a thoroughfare. It’s a gateway to one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, Père-Lachaise. Imagine strolling down Avenue de la Réunion, the anticipation building with every step. The grand gates of the cemetery, a final resting place for countless notable figures, come into view. But the avenue has its own stories to tell, beyond the cemetery walls.
At number 58, Avenue de la Réunion, lived a woman named Amélie Élie. In the early 1900s, she was known as “Casque d’Or,” a notorious figure in the Apache underworld. Her life, a whirlwind of passion and crime, became the subject of a celebrated film, immortalizing both her and the avenue she called home. Avenue de la Réunion also housed a different kind of gathering place, the headquarters of the Grande Loge mixte universelle, at number 27. This Masonic lodge adds another layer to the avenue’s rich tapestry of human connection. Today, as you walk along Avenue de la Réunion, the echoes of these past lives linger in the air, a testament to the avenue’s quiet, yet powerful, role in Parisian history.