“Lost in translation” is an apt phrase for this street. It reflects a name change that whispers tales of old Paris. Today we stand on Rue du Renard. This street boasts a history richer than its simple name suggests.
Rue du Renard translates to Fox Street. But why a fox? The answer lies in an old shop sign. It depicted a fox preaching.
Let’s delve into the history of Rue du Renard. Once upon a time the street was known as Cour Robert-de-Paris. This was between 1185 and 1512. Guillot de Paris mentioned it in his “Le Dit des rues de Paris”.
By 1512 a manuscript referred to it as Cour Robert also called Cour du Renard. Gilles Corrozet used the name Rue du Renard-qui-Prêche from 1558. This translates to Street of the Fox who Preaches.
Later the street became simply Rue du Renard. To distinguish it from another Rue du Renard it gained the suffix Saint-Merri. So it became Rue du Renard-Saint-Merri. This identified its location within the Saint-Merri quarter.
A ministerial decision in 1799 fixed the street’s width at seven meters. Royal order increased the width to ten meters in 1836. This change led to the demolition of old buildings. New townhouses arose in their place.
The Rue du Renard we see today was formed in 1868. It resulted from merging two streets. The first section was between Rue de Rivoli and Rue de la Verrerie. This was previously Rue de la Poterie-des-Arcis. The second section ran between Rue de la Verrerie and Rue Saint-Merri. It was formerly Rue du Renard-Saint-Merri.
The street was extended in 1899 to Rue Pierre-au-Lard. A further extension in 1909 reached Rue Simon-le-Franc. Rue du Renard and Rue Beaubourg now form a continuous axis.
Several buildings along Rue du Renard have notable stories. At numbers 8 and 10 stands a building designed by François-Adolphe Bocage. It is listed as an Immeuble Remarquable. Since 2019 it has housed the headquarters of Technicolor group.
Number 11 boasts a patrician house. Its caves extend over two levels. The caves feature detailed décor including a fig-leaf capital and a well. In the Middle Ages the house’s threshold was forty centimeters below the current sidewalk level.
At number 12 once stood the Hôtel de Pomponne. In 1900 the Syndicat de l’Épicerie Française acquired the land. Architects Édouard Bauhain and Raymond Barbaud designed a building for them. In the early 1980s the syndicate moved its activities. The ground floor became a theater. It was initially the Théâtre de l’Épicerie then the Roseau Théâtre. In 1994 it became the Théâtre du Renard.
Numbers 14-16-18 house the École Saint-Merri. Architects Alain Gamard Daniel Lombard and Édouard-Marc Roux designed this building in 1972. The pedestrian passage is named Parvis Élise-et-Célestin-Freinet. Number 16 houses the Piscine Marie-Marvingt. The Bains-Douches Municipaux Saint-Merri are at number 18.
Lastly number 21 has been home to the Maison de l’Île de la Réunion since 2015. Number 28 marks the site of the Fontaine Marchande du cloître Saint-Merri.
Rue du Renard is more than just a street. It is a journey through time. It is a reminder that even the simplest names hold complex histories.