“Did anyone say ‘Statue of Liberty’?” a surprised voice interjected. We are standing now on Rue Mederic, a seemingly ordinary street in Paris’s 17th arrondissement. But don’t let its unassuming facade fool you. Rue Mederic harbors a hidden connection to one of the world’s most iconic monuments: the Statue of Liberty. You see, just a stone’s throw from here, the Statue of Liberty once stood, albeit temporarily, in a very different form. Before her grand voyage across the Atlantic, Lady Liberty took shape in a workshop near this very spot. It was here that sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s vision was brought to life. Imagine the scene: workers meticulously hammering copper sheets, the air thick with the scent of metal and anticipation. While the original workshop no longer stands, the spirit of this monumental endeavor lingers in the air. The street itself is named after Gilbert Védy, a French Resistance fighter during World War II who went by the alias “Mederic”. His bravery and sacrifice, like the Statue of Liberty’s symbolism of freedom, remind us of the enduring human spirit and the constant pursuit of liberty.
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.