.gif)
Rue Saint-Denis (Paris)
Encyclopedia
Rue Saint-Denis is one of the oldest streets in Paris
. Its route was first laid out in the 1st century by the Romans
, and then extended to the north in the Middle Ages
. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the street has become notorious as a place of prostitution. Its name derives from it being the historic route to Saint-Denis
.
The street extends as far as the 1st arrondissement and Rue de Rivoli to the south and as far as the 2nd arrondissement
and the boulevard Saint-Denis to the north. It runs parallel to the boulevard de Sébastopol
.
, Pontoise
and Rouen
it competed with the "route de Senlis" (see rue Saint-Martin) but gained an advantage over it with the demolition of the Grand Pont (see Pont au Change
) and the development of the royal abbey of Saint-Denis, becoming the triumphal way
for royal entries into the capital.
Flanked by houses from 1134 onwards, the street has borne the alternative names of Sellerie de Paris and Sellerie de la Grande Rue (13th century) ; grand'rue de Paris ; grande rue or rue des Saints Innocents et grant chaussée de Monsieur / Monseigneur Saint-Denis (14th century). During the French Revolution
, it was known as the rue de Franciade
.
s, with the part situated between rue Réaumur and boulevard Saint-Denis notorious as a place of prostitution. Nevertheless, the street does also contain some clothes shops, bars and restaurants, as well as the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, a bank, and the Chambre des notaires building.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Its route was first laid out in the 1st century by the Romans
Lutetia
Lutetia was a town in pre-Roman and Roman Gaul. The Gallo-Roman city was a forerunner of the re-established Merovingian town that is the ancestor of present-day Paris...
, and then extended to the north in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the street has become notorious as a place of prostitution. Its name derives from it being the historic route to Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
.
The street extends as far as the 1st arrondissement and Rue de Rivoli to the south and as far as the 2nd arrondissement
IIe arrondissement
The 2nd arrondissement is one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. Located on the right bank of the River Seine, the 2nd arrondissement, together with the adjacent 8th and 9th arrondissements, hosts an important business district, centred on the Paris Opéra, which houses...
and the boulevard Saint-Denis to the north. It runs parallel to the boulevard de Sébastopol
Boulevard de Sébastopol
The Boulevard de Sébastopol is an important roadway in Paris, France, which serves to delimit the 1st and 2nd arrondissements from the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of the city....
.
History
The ancient Roman route (Flanders road) leading to Saint-DenisSaint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
, Pontoise
Pontoise
Pontoise is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.-Administration:...
and Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
it competed with the "route de Senlis" (see rue Saint-Martin) but gained an advantage over it with the demolition of the Grand Pont (see Pont au Change
Pont au Change
The Pont au Change is a bridge over the Seine River in Paris, France.The bridge is located at the border between the first and fourth arrondissements. It connects the Île de la Cité from the Palais de Justice and the Conciergerie, to the Right Bank, at the level of the Théâtre du Châtelet.Several...
) and the development of the royal abbey of Saint-Denis, becoming the triumphal way
Victory parade
A victory parade is a type of parade held in order to celebrate a victory. Because of that, victory parades can be divided into military victory parades and more frequent sport victory parades....
for royal entries into the capital.
Flanked by houses from 1134 onwards, the street has borne the alternative names of Sellerie de Paris and Sellerie de la Grande Rue (13th century) ; grand'rue de Paris ; grande rue or rue des Saints Innocents et grant chaussée de Monsieur / Monseigneur Saint-Denis (14th century). During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, it was known as the rue de Franciade
Franciade
In the French Republican calendar, the franciade was the period of four years at the end of which it was necessary to add a day to the calendar year to keep it aligned with the solar year ....
.
Activities
The neighborhood around the rue Saint-Denis is now above all made up of sex shopSex shop
A sex shop, erotic shop is a shop that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, clothing, pornography, and other related products...
s, with the part situated between rue Réaumur and boulevard Saint-Denis notorious as a place of prostitution. Nevertheless, the street does also contain some clothes shops, bars and restaurants, as well as the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, a bank, and the Chambre des notaires building.
Famous buildings
- n° 60 (corner of rue de la Cossonnerie) : Remains of the Cour Batave, a collection of buildings constructed for Dutch speculators by Jean-Nicolas Sobre and Célestin-Joseph Happe in 1790, one of Paris's first examples of private housing development.
- n° 92 : Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles
- n° 142 (corner of rue Grénéta) : House built in 1732 by Jacques-Richard Cochois for Claude AubryClaude Aubry*Claude Aubry journalist for the newspaper Le point*Claude Aubry former director of public libraries of Ottawa...
. Attached to it is the "fontaine Greneta", rebuilt at the same time as the house, but whose original dates back to at least 1502. - n°s 224-226 : Maison des Dames de Saint-Chaumont (Couvent des Filles de l'Union chrétienne), established in 1685 in a hôtel de Saint-Chaumond, of which nothing survives except its name in the name of the community. The nuns had constructed 1734-1735 by Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne a lodge which has been conserved (but raised up), a building of exceptional quality decorated by Nicolas PineauNicolas PineauNicolas Pineau was a French carver and ornamental designer, one of the leaders who initiated the exuberant asymmetrical phase of the high Rococo. He worked in St...
. It is the only survivor of the many pious or charitable establishments built along rue Saint-Denis. Its simple entrance is next to boulevard de Sébastopol and a garden extends between the building and the street. In the corner of rue de Tracy could be found the covent's chapel, built in 1782 by Pierre Convers in the ancient style but now lost. - At the end of rue Saint-Denis, at the intersectionIntersection (road)An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
of the grands BoulevardsBoulevardsBoulevards is a network of city guides on the Internet established in 1994 by Boulevards New Media Inc., an early digital media pioneer. It preceded other city guide networks such as Citysearch and Microsoft's now-defunct Sidewalk.com product, which launched under a similarly metaphorical brand and...
, can be found the porte Saint-DenisPorte Saint-DenisThe Porte Saint-Denis is a Parisian monument located in the 10th arrondissement, at the site of one of the gates of the Wall of Charles V, one of the now-destroyed fortifications of Paris...
. Rue Saint-Denis is then extended from there out into what was medieval Paris's faubourgFaubourgFaubourg is an ancient French term approximating "suburb" . The earliest form is Forsbourg, derived from Latin foris, 'out of', and Vulgar Latin burgum, 'town' or 'fortress'...
by the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-DenisRue du Faubourg-Saint-DenisThe Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis is a street in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. It crosses the arrondissement from north to south, linking the Porte Saint-Denis to the Métro station of La Chapelle and passing the Gare du Nord.-History:...