“A small bridge, you say?” Right here in front of us, on this unassuming street: Rue du Ponceau. Don’t let its modern appearance fool you. This street holds a secret from a time when Paris was a far cry from the City of Lights. Imagine a Paris before paved streets and elegant boulevards, a time when open sewers, the “Grand Egout,” snaked through the city. Rue du Ponceau gets its name from a humble “ponceau,” a small bridge that once spanned one such open sewer right here. This sewer, known as the “Ponceau sewer,” flowed all the way to the Seine. It was a far cry from the Seine we see today! By 1605, the stench became unbearable. It was finally covered thanks to the efforts of the city’s provost of merchants, François Miron. This act of urban renewal led to the creation of “Rue de l’égout-du-Ponceau,” which later became our Rue du Ponceau.
Église Notre-Dame de l’Air
Beneath what appears to be a simple stone and wood structure lies a history interwoven with faith aviation and community.