“Exiled” in St-Germain – Part I

By Michael Westra | 11/21/2016

In ancient Rome, the Caesars practiced a special form of punishment on political rivals whom they did not want (or could ill-afford) to have executed, but whom they wanted to be rid of. The punishment: EXILE.

The most famous recipient of this brand of imperial justice was Augustus Caesar’s own daughter, Julia.

For her treacherous and lecherous behavior* she was exiled to the tiny island of Pandatoria (Present day Ventotene); a volcanic rock just off the Italian coast, less than 2 miles long and 800 meters wide, with a total area somewhat less than 7/10 of a square mile. For 5 years she paced its lonely beaches before eventually being allowed to return to the Mainland.

Not long ago I found myself in conversation with an attorney friend whose interest in Antiquity rivaled my penchant for Paris. The topic of Roman exile came up and over a glass of wine my pal posed the following question: If I were to be exiled to a tiny geographic plot for the rest of my life, but unlike Julia I could select the venue, where would I choose to be?

By the end of that bottle of wine I had settled on my answer. If I were exiled to one square mile of terra firma for the rest of my life, I would choose the Sixth Arrondissement of Paris.

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With an area of 8/10 of a square mile, the compact 6th Arrondissement is almost identical in size to the tiny island that Rome’s Julia was exiled to in the time of the Caesars. But whereas Julia’s locale was a barren bit of rock, the Sixth contains some of the city’s finest churches, most tranquil parks & squares, best restaurants, shops & galleries, and has been the scene of some of the Western World’s most historic cultural and artistic movements.

For those who are partisan devotees of other sections of the City of Light, please know that my decision was not an easy one. I absolutely love the Fourth Arrondissement, home of the Marais and Ile St-Louis. Nor can I imagine Paris without the monumental Right Bank districts of the First, Second and Ninth. And to never again experience the bohemian haunts of the Fifth, the Golden Triangle of the Eighth or the patrician boulevards of the Sixteenth causes angst of the first order. It is not a snub of these districts but rather a tribute to the Sixth that I would forego their myriad pleasures for the charms of St-Germain-des-Prés and its surroundings.

The allure and magic of the Sixth is palpable. Even its street names exude a whimsical charm – Rue des Canettes (Street of the Ducklings), Rue des Quatre Vents (Street of the Four Winds), Rue Princesse (Princess Street) and Rue des Beaux Arts (Street of Fine Arts). Other place names pay tribute to the learned fathers of the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Rue Mabillon and Rue Clément), or to famous French playwrights on the streets that radiate from the Odéon Theater (Rue Racine, Rue Corneille, Rue Casimir Delavigne).

Superimposed upon this warren of narrow 16th, 17th and 18th-century streets and alleys is the 19th-century grid of Baron Haussmann’s  boulevards. Two of these broad thoroughfares, Blvd. Saint-Michel and Blvd. du Montparnasse, form the eastern and southern borders of the district, and Blvd. Saint-Germain bisects the arrondissement from east to west, separating the abbey’s neighborhood on the north from the parish of Saint Sulpice and the Luxembourg Gardens to the south.

Patrolling the Perimeter:

Shaped like a slightly irregular rectangle, the Sixth enjoys prime riverfront property on it’s northern side, rubs shoulders with the historic Latin Quarter on the east, abuts the bustling Montparnasse quarter along it’s southern edge, and melds with the aristocratic and embassy-laced Seventh Arrondissement on its west side.

In my hypothetical exile, I’d be confined to the area within the boundaries of this quadrangle and could only gaze longingly at the many landmarks visible from the edge of the Sixth. But the real visitor is able to venture across these borders to sample the sights inside and outside the arrondissement.

The following is a montage of some, but certainly not all, of the landmarks visible along the four sides of the Sixth’s perimeter:

THE NORTHERN SIDE:  The Seine

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Some of the finest views along the River Seine are enjoyed from the Left Bank quais of the Sixth Arrondissement. They include marvelous views of the Pont Neuf, the city’s oldest bridge.
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Another of Paris’s most popular bridges, the Pont des Arts, connects the Right Bank’s Louvre museum to the Sixth Arrondissement’s many art galleries and School of Fine Arts (École des Beaux-Arts). This photo, looking from the Louvre, shows the thousands of “Love Locks†that became, in recent years, a craze among lovers who wrote their names on a padlock, affixed it to the bridge and then threw the key into the river. Eventually the weight of tens of thousands of locks threatened the structural integrity of the bridge. In 2016 the locks were outlawed and crews removed them and installed glass side railings that do not allow locks to be affixed. At the end of the bridge is seen the dome of the Institut de France, one of the Sixth’s most historic and influential edifices. In the distance, to the right of the dome, can be seen the small pointed tower of St-Germain-des-Prés. Image: http://wanderlosttraveler.com/

THE EASTERN SIDE: Blvd. Saint-Michel

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The Blvd. Saint-Michel is the line of demarcation between the Sixth Arrondissement and the Latin Quarter to the east. For centuries the Latin Quarter has been home to the University of Paris’s most famous institution – The Sorbonne. This photo, taken from Blvd. Saint-Michel, shows the serene square, Place de La Sorbonne, and the dome of the Sorbonne’s Chapel. The great and ruthless 17th-century clergyman, statesman and diplomat, Cardinal Richelieu, is buried beneath the Dome.
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Further south along Blvd. St-Michel, the massive dome of the Pantheon is visible a few blocks to the east. The present day Pantheon is a mausoleum dedicated to the great men and women of France, but it’s origins date back 2,000 years when its site was the administrative center of the ancient Roman city of Lutetia.

THE SOUTHERN SIDE: Blvd. du Montparnasse

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On the Southeast tip of the Sixth Arrondissement, where Blvd. St-Michel intersects Blvd. du Montparnasse, sits La Closerie des Lilas, the Grand Dame of the Montparnasse cafés. Frequented by all the artists, writers, poets and colorful characters of the late 19th and early 20th century, and particularly famous as Ernest Hemingway’s favorite haunt, it remains today a classy place to dine and to commune with the Paris of the Jazz Age and Lost Generation.

Blvd. du Montparnaasse was the center of “Lost Generation†social life during the 1920’s and 30’s. The action centered around the five legendary cafes, bistros and brasseries, collectively known as “Les Montparnos†– The Closerie des Lilas (Founded 1843), Le Dôme (1897), La Rotunde (1911), Le Select (1923) and La Coupole (1927). All located in close proximity to each other on Blvd du Montparnassse, they played host to everyone from Lenin to Hemingway, Josephine Baker and Picasso. Le Dôme took its name from the Haussmann-style dome above its corner entrance and in an odd form of flattery by imitation, La Rotunde (The Rotunda) and La Coupole (The Cupola), take their names from synonyms of the word “domeâ€.

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Le Dôme today. In recent decades the literary cafe has morphed into a very upscale fish restaurant with a well-earned Michelin star. With this change those in search of authentic Lost Generation atmosphere now drift toward the other Montparno establishments like La Rotunde and Le Select.
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La Rotunde – In the early 1900’s artists like Modigliani. Rivera and Picasso (Picasso had a studio nearby), were regulars. During this time the owner, Monsieur Libion, would allow starving artists to hock some of their artwork to pay for their supper; he would hold it until they could pay. As such, there were times when the café’s walls were lined with paintings that today grace the halls of great museums and private collections. The present day Rotunde is still an intellectual watering hole with much of the same aura as in bygone days.
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Le Select – The first Paris café to be open all night, it was a hit with night owls like Samuel Beckett and Henry Miller, along with all the other “usual suspects†of Jazz Age Paris. However, it never became as famous as it’s Montparno neighbors, but that is what makes it unique and special today, as is so well explained in this article by Lauren Elkin .
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La Coupole was opened in 1927 by Ernest Fraux and René Lafon after they were fired at Le Dôme. The name La Coupole was perhaps their way of indicating their plan to surpass the Dôme (Coupole, cupola in English, is the small dome-like structure which sits atop a larger dome). Its cavernous dining room, with up to 600 diners and over 400 staff, and sumptuous Art Deco décor were nothing short of sensational in 1920’s Paris. Its client list of historic celebrities remains unsurpassed to this day.

THE WESTERN SIDE: Rue de Sèvres &  Rue des Saints-Pères

The western edge of the Sixth traces the slanting Rue de  Sèvres from the intersection of Blvd. du Montparnasse and then  turns due north along Rue des Saints-Pères to the River. The Rue de Sèvres section contains a number of renowned  landmarks, most especially a famous Department Store and  a Grand Hotel.

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Le Bon Marché, started in 1852, is the world’s first department store. Now a subsidiary of the Louis Vuitton empire, it offers deluxe brands in an elegant setting. Next door is a gourmet food hall, La Grande Épicerie, where you can shop, sample and dine on fabulous fare from around the world.
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A block from Le Bon Marché is Hotel Lutetia, the Left Bank’s only Grand Hotel. Built on the site of an ancient convent, it was the epitome of Art Nouveau architecture when it opened its doors in 1910. Currently closed for a major 3 year overhaul, it promises to be one of the city’s top hostelries when it reopens in 2017. (Watch our newsletter for details on our planned week-long fling at the Lutetia for its grand reopening next year).

The narrow Rue des Saints-Pères, like the neighboring streets in the vicinity of the St-Germain-des-Prés abbey, is centuries old. It was originally a cow path that led medieval livestock from the river to the abbey. Now it boasts some of the best high-end antique shops in the city as well as a few wonderful boutique hotels and specialty shops.

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Debauve & Galais, on Rue des Saints-Pères, was founded in 1800 and is the city’s second oldest chocolate shop (La Mère de Famille on Rue du Faubourg Montmartre claims first place: 1761). It was the official purveyor of chocolate to Emperor Napoleon as well as the last three kings of France. Modern shoppers can still see the beautiful interior displays just as they looked when Napoleon assuaged his sweet tooth there two centuries ago.
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Chocolates at Debauve & Galais.

Exploring the Interior:

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The Sixth Arrondissement is broken down into 4 smaller neighborhoods

Now that we’ve staked out the boundaries of the Sixth, watch for upcoming articles (scattered among other posts) in which we’ll take an in-depth look at each of its four principle neighborhoods, their shops, their dining spots and hotels, and their places of interest. I hope you’ll follow along and in the end come to agree with me that this is indeed a square mile to keep one happy for a lifetime. Please stay tuned.

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Les Deux Magots – Arguably the most famous sidewalk café in the world, and a subject of our upcoming discussion of the Sixth Arrondissement

* Julia was condemned to exile on charges of adultery, prostitution and general promiscuity. Her suspected involvement in plots against her father, Augustus, and her husband, the future emperor Tiberius, didn’t help her cause either. Her five year exile to the tiny island of Pandatoria was not the end of her troubles. She then remained under virtual house arrest on the southern tip of the Italian boot and when her father died, the new emperor, Tiberius, exacted his vengeance by having her slowly starved to death in AD 14.

Posted in History & Culture