How long has Rue Saint-Martin existed? Centuries. Right here before you stretches a piece of Paris’s ancient heart. Rue Saint-Martin isn’t just a street it’s a living timeline. It has witnessed centuries of Parisian life. From Roman times to the Haussmann renovations. Its history is woven into the very stones beneath your feet.
Imagine Roman soldiers marching along its predecessor. A road extending the Via Superior. This ancient cardo maximus connected Lutetia to Louvres and Senlis. It was a raised causeway cutting through marshland. This Roman road was separate from the one to Rouen. The original Rue Saint-Martin began at the Seine. By 1147 it was mostly built up. This was as far as the Rue Neuve-Saint-Merri. The Porte Saint-Martin stood here. Part of Paris’s second city wall. It was probably built after the Viking siege of 885.
The construction of the Halles under Philip II shifted much of Paris’s population. They moved to the right bank. They moved near this huge market. Rue Saint-Martin benefitted from this. Around 1200 it was mostly built up to the Rue du Grenier-Saint-Lazare. Another city gate stood there. Part of Paris’s third wall. It was later renamed “Faulce porte” to avoid confusion with the Porte Saint-Martin in Charles V’s wall.
In the Middle Ages Rue Saint-Martin was a major north-south axis. This was until the Grand Pont and Rue Saint-Denis eased the congestion. In 1418 it reached Rue Neuve-Saint-Denis. Under Louis XIII it reached its current length. It ran from the Seine to Charles V’s city wall. Like Rue Saint-Denis Rue Saint-Martin had many religious centers. Many were destroyed. Some totally like the Église Saint-Julien-des-Ménétriers. Others partially like the priory of Saint-Martin. But most remain. Saint-Merry and Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs are still standing.
In 1535 Francis I demolished the right-bank gates of Philip Augustus’ wall. This is when houses started getting signs. In the mid-17th century Paris became an open city. Medieval gates were replaced by Baroque ones. Many remain today. The street was renovated during this period. The French Revolution saw the destruction of some religious centers. Saint-Martin’s priory became the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers.
In 1817 Rue Saint-Martin was 1160 meters long. It ran from Rue des Lombards to Boulevard Saint-Denis. House numbers were black. The last odd number was 317. The last even number was 262. A ministerial decision in 1797 fixed its minimum width at 12 meters. A royal ordinance in 1836 increased it to 14 meters. A ministerial decree in 1851 merged three streets. These were Rue de la Planche-Mibray Rue des Arcis and part of the existing Rue Saint-Martin. Haussmann planned widening the street but the project was never fully completed. This explains the street’s current narrowness. The street lost its north-south status to the Boulevard Sébastopol. Other developments like the Beaubourg district further changed it. But many old houses survived. A plaque at number 160 notes this. Rue Saint-Martin remains a tangible link to Paris’s enduring past.