Place Saint-Sulpice

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Place Saint-Sulpice
P1210651 Paris VI place Saint-Sulpice rwk.jpg
View of the square and the Fountain of the Four Bishops from the Church of Saint-Sulpice
Paris department land cover location map.svg
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Shown within Paris
Length60 m (200 ft)
Width60 m (200 ft)
Arrondissement 6th
Quarter Latin Quarter
Coordinates 48°51′3″N2°20′0″E / 48.85083°N 2.33333°E / 48.85083; 2.33333
Construction
Completion1754
DenominationSaint-Sulpice

The Place Saint-Sulpice is a large public square, dominated on its eastern side by the Church of Saint-Sulpice. It was built in 1754 as a tranquil garden in the Latin Quarter of the 6th arrondissement of Paris.

Contents

History as a tourist destination

By 1855, the Place was already a tourist destination, with several omnibuses traversing the square, and the Church highlighted. [1] [2] Ticket offices for the omnibuses and trains opened on the Place by 1857. [3] By 1867, a “generally well kept water-closet” opened for people who were waiting to change omnibuses, as well as railroad ticket offices. [4] After the war and insurrection, British and American tourists were directed to see the fountain and flowers sold at the Place. [5]

As of 1894, the square, laid out in 1811 by Napoleon’s decree, was already described as “Old and New Paris” and a flower market had been established. [6] As of 1916, motor buses replaced the old omnibus. [7]

In the 1920s, there was an annual fête in May; stores selling antiques, books, and costumes lined the Place. [8] In his memoir of those days, Ernest Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast about the Place and its sites, both fixed like the benches, trees, statues of bishops, and lions, as well as the unfixed, walking pigeons. [9] A café on the square, “Café de la Mairie, served food and drinks” to Lost Generation writers, which included Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Djuna Barnes, and Samuel Beckett. [9] [10]

The Café was known in the 1950s and 1960s for its “flair.” [11] Albert Camus read his daily newspaper there in those times. [12] By the turn of the Century, this café was “frequented by literary types,” publishers, and students who all enjoyed the inexpensive coffee and “the lack of so many tourists.” [13]

Several high-end brand shops opened up on the square, including Annick Goutal, Yves St Laurent, and Christian Lacroix. [13] Shopping is available at Saint-Sulpice for “a wealth of great fashion and household delights.” [14]

The big draw for tourists has always been the Church, [2] [4] [8] but “the entire generous space is beloved by Parisians on lush summer evenings and on frigid February nights.” [12] The Christmas Fair and an annual June antiques fair attract both locals and tourists. [12] The fountains, statuary, trees, sculptures, and seminary are also noted in guidebooks, old and new. [4] [6] [8] [12] [14] [15] [16]

In 1975, George Perec famously wrote, “There are many things on the Place Saint-Sulpice.” [17] In a Futurist perspective, “Place Saint-Sulpice 2.0 is a layered place, in part a public place, in part a parochial location.” [18]

Features

In addition to the church, the square features the Fontaine Saint-Sulpice, or Fountain of the Four Bishops (Fontaine des Quatre Evêques), [9] built in the center of the square between 1844 and 1848, [12] which was designed by the architect Joachim Visconti. [4] [6] [8]

The first photographs of the new fountain in 1848 was by the new technology’s inventor, Hippolyte Bayard. [19]

The fountain presents the statues of four bishops, all known for their excellent preaching, one on each of its sides:

Some people call this monumental fountain the Fontaine des Quatre Points cardinaux (lit. the "Fountain of the Four Cardinal Points"). This is a bit of innocent wordplay; none of the four esteemed bishops ever became a cardinal. [15]

Other features include chestnut trees, [16] the city hall (French: mairie ) of the 6th arrondissement, and the Café de la Mairie, a rendezvous for writers and students, [12] [13] which featured in the 1990 film, La Discrète ("The Discreet"), directed by Christian Vincent, starring Fabrice Luchini and Judith Henry.

Servadoni had planned a coherent square of identical buildings surrounding Saint-Sulpice, but only one, at number 6, was built to his designs; the rest reflect his concepts. [20] His designs of 1754 had already been extensively reworked by the 1820s. [21]

Metro stations

___
Located near the Métro stations:  Mabillon  and  Saint-Sulpice .

The square is served by lines 4 and 10. Paris m 4 jms.svg Paris Metro 10.svg

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References

  1. ↑ Paris Complete. A New Alphabetical Guide for the Traveller in Paris, Etc. 1855. pp. 13–14.
  2. 1 2 Monteith, Alexander H. (1855). Monteith's handbook to the sights of Paris, and guide to the great exhibition. pp. 26, 61.
  3. ↑ Guide for strangers visiting Paris, with ... views and a map, etc. 1857. pp. 11–14, 231.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Joanne, Adolphe Laurent (1867). The Diamond Guide for the Stranger in Paris. pp. 12–13, 39, 57, 82.
  5. ↑ Du Lorin, Florian Hervé (1873). Paris Before, During and After the War and Its Insurrection: An Indispensable Guide to English and American Visitors to Paris. Imprimerie Symonds & Company. pp. 28, 58.
  6. 1 2 3 Edwards, Henry Sutherland (1894). Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places ... p. 173.
  7. ↑ Sax, Charles (1916). The English Tourist in France. Delagrave. p. 136.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 White, Watson (1926). The Paris that is Paris. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 308, 312, 335–340.
  9. 1 2 3 Fitch, Noel R. (1992). Walks In Hemingway's Paris: A Guide To Paris For The Literary Traveler. St Martin’s. pp. 61–62.
  10. ↑ Micucci, Dana (2001). Artists in residence. Little Bookroom. p. 135. ISBN   9781892145000.
  11. ↑ Eckerlin, Peter; Pastré, Elke (2001). Paris. Nelles. p. 69. ISBN   9783886188604.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cahill, Susan (2022). Sacred Paris: A Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light. ISBN   9781250239693.
  13. 1 2 3 Clemente, Maribeth (2001). The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide. pp. 209–210, 216. ISBN   9780312269074.
  14. 1 2 Applefield, David (2008). The Unofficial Guide to Paris. Wiley. pp. 385, 392. ISBN   9780470138281.
  15. 1 2 Glyn, Anthony; Glyn, Susan (2000). The Companion Guide to Paris. Companion Guides. pp. 244–246, 308. ISBN   9781900639200.
  16. 1 2 Rough Guides (ed.). The Rough Guide to Paris (Travel Guide EBook). ISBN   9781839059131.
  17. ↑ Hazan, Eric (2011). The Invention of Paris: A History in Footsteps. Verso Books. p. 99. ISBN   9781844678006.
  18. ↑ Licoppe, Christisn (2017). "Conclusion". Afterlives of Georges Perec. p. 222. ISBN   9781474401258.
  19. ↑ Roubert, Paul-Louis (2024). Hippolyte Bayard and the Invention of Photography. Getty Trust. p. 191.
  20. ↑ Sutcliffe, Anthony (1996). Paris: An Architectural History. Yale University Press. p. 52. ISBN   9780300068863.
  21. ↑ The History of Paris from the Earliest Period to the Present Day: Containing a Description of Its Antiquities, Public Buildings, Civil, Religious, Scientific, and Commercial Institutions. Vol. 3. G. B. Whittaker. 1827. p. 125.
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