Could the name Rue des Figuiers come from a fig tree that once grew here? The Rue du Figuier whispers tales of Paris past. It is nestled in the 4th arrondissement. This street sits in the Saint-Gervais quarter within the Marais district.
Let’s step back to 1300. Back then, the Rue du Figuier already had its name. A fig tree stood at the intersection of several streets. These were Rue du Fauconnier, Rue de la Mortellerie, and Rue des Barrés. The street was already built and inhabited then.
Guillot de Paris mentioned it in “Le Dit des rues de Paris.” He simply called it Rue du Figuier. A manuscript from 1636 describes it less kindly. It was “found dirty, messy, and full of mud and filth.”
During the late Middle Ages, the Archbishop of Sens had a residence here. It was the Hôtel de Sens. Paris was only a bishopric then. It depended on the metropolitan archbishopric of Sens until 1622. Communications between the clergy were frequent. Étienne Bécard, Archbishop of Sens, bought a house here. It was on Quai des Célestins in the early 14th century. He left it to his successors in his will.
Later, Charles V acquired this house. With other properties, it formed his royal Hôtel de Saint-Paul. The king gave the Archbishop the Hôtel d’Hestoménil. It stood at the corner of Rue du Figuier. This became the Hôtel de Sens.
Tristan de Salazar rebuilt this old manor in the early 16th century. Several illustrious prelates lived here afterward. Antoine Duprat was one. He was Archbishop of Sens. He also served as chancellor under François I. Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme also resided here. He was a prince of the royal family. Louis de Guise, the Cardinal of Lorraine, lived here. Jean Bertrandi, Keeper of the Seals of France also lived here. Marguerite de Valois also lived here for several years. She was the first wife of Henri IV.
A ministerial decision fixed the street’s width at 7 meters. This happened in 1798. A royal ordinance later increased it to 11 meters.
In the 19th century, the Rue du Figuier was 116 meters long. It began at what was then Rue de la Mortellerie. Today, that is Rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville. It also started at Rue du Fauconnier. It ended at Rue des Prêtres-Saint-Paul. Street numbers were black.
Most buildings were demolished in the late 1940s. This was part of an urban renewal project. The Hôtel de Sens was spared. A dispensary built in 1931 survived. An 18th-century building also remained. The facade of a building from 1761 was rebuilt. New buildings went up in the 1950s. Architects Robert Danis and Robert Camelot designed them.
Today, the Rue du Figuier offers a glimpse into Parisian history. A fig tree stands at the corner of Rue du Fauconnier. It is a reminder of the street’s name. The Hôtel de Sens has a cannonball embedded in its wall. It dates back to the Trois Glorieuses. This is just one of the many stories. They echo through the Rue du Figuier.