Cour du Commerce Saint André – the charming passage of the Left Bank

Anyone who knows the history of thePassages of Paris Know that the first passage is thePalais Royal And that you can find passages almost exclusively on the right bank. This is true, but only partially. There is a kind of passage on the left bank as well and it is even older than the passages we know. This passage is called Cour du Commerce Saint-André and it is one of the favorite places of Paris And for good reason.

Every time I enter the Cour du Commerce Saint-André, located between Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Rue Saint André des Arts, I feel as if I have gone back a few centuries in time for a moment. The paving stones, which disappeared from the streets of Paris after the student uprising of 1968, are still there, and with them also the ancient houses and alleys, some of which look as if they were taken from some ancient village. This is undoubtedly a pastoral French Incarnate!

Today I want to tell the story of this kind of passage and discover, together with you, what secrets lie behind the pastoral appearance of the place, where some historical event took place in almost every house.

The story of Cour du Commerce Saint André

The story of the place begins in the 30s. In these days, the Boulevard Saint-Germain did not yet exist (it would be built by Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann more than 18 years later) and in its place were a collection of small streets and alleys.

In order to shorten the distance between the streets of Saint-André and Fossés-Saint-Germain (now rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie), a kind of passage was created between them. However, it should be noted that this passage was different from the passages that would come later during the 19th century, since it was open-air, while the later ones were covered.

In 1776, they decided to extend this passage to the rue École-de-Médecine (then rue Cordeliers) and about 15 years later it was connected to the Cour de Rohan, which we will talk about later. In 1866, the Boulevard Saint-Germain was built and this passage lost, at once, about 40 meters of its length, and along the way (literally), it took on its final form that we are familiar with.

Fortunately, most of the 18th century houses are still here with us, and quite a few of them were the site of more and less important historical events. Here are the houses to look out for:

Number 4 – One of the towers of the Philip Augustus Wall

King Philip Augustus (reigned 1180-1223) decided to build a wall in the late 12th century to protect Paris from the English. The king built this wall, in part, with the ransom money of Jews he had thrown into prison, and it surrounded what are now the 1st-6th arrondissements.

At number 4 you can find the remains of a tower of the same wall and if you are interested in finding more remains of Philip Augustus' wall, you are welcome to take a look atThe Marae itineraryThere you will find in the southern part of the district, not far from the Jardins de Saint Pol, a complete section of the wall that has survived intact.

Number 8 – Mara's Printing House

Here he stood, during the French Revolution, the printing house where the newspaper l'Ami du Peuple or in Hebrew "Friend of the People" was printed.

The paper's creator and editor-in-chief was Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), undoubtedly one of the most compelling characters of the period. If you ask me why, all you have to do is read that paper and discover that the vast majority of it was devoted to calling for the wholesale slaughter of anyone who did not think like the editor-in-chief (especially the nobles and the Girondins).

Ultimately, in a sort of poetic justice, Marat met his death violently, stabbed to death by Charlotte Corday while he was in the bathroom at his home at 20 rue l'École-de-Médecine (a few minutes' walk from the printing house). The knife, by the way, was bought by the lady inPalais Royal.

Number 9 – The place where the first guillotine was built

Speaking of Marais and the French Revolution, not far from his printing house, the first guillotine was built in April 1792. Most people think that it was Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814) who invented the guillotine, but this is not true at all.

Gütten's proposal was met with disdain by the members of the Assembly, but in 1792, when the need for mass executions began to arise, it was decided to try to build a prototype of the beheading machine and test it. The person who designed this beheading machine was a doctor named Antoine Louis (1723-1792), and the machine itself was built by the German carpenter Tobias Schmidt, who had previously been involved in building pianos.

They first tested the machine on sheep, and on April 17th, they successfully tested it on human cadavers, which they received from the nearby Faculty of Medicine. After receiving FDA approval (just kidding 🙂 ), they tested the machine on a living person for the first time on April 25th. The man who “earned” the honor of being the first person to be executed by a beheading machine was a thief named Jacques Pelletier, who was executed in Garb Square (the square opposite Hotel de Ville), where executions were carried out for many centuries.

The beheading machine was initially called the Louison or Louisette, after Dr. Louis, who invented it and died about a month after his invention became operational. However, over the years, the machine began to be named after Joseph Guétain, who brought the idea to the National Assembly, and thus, it changed from “Louison” to guillotine.

Guillaume did not really like the fact that the machine was named after him and he did not like even more the fact that he almost became a “customer” of that machine (he was sentenced to death during the Reign of Terror and was only saved by the fall of Robespierre shortly before his execution). However, Guillaume’s protests were of no avail and the name guillotine has remained to this day.

By the way, before we continue, if the topic of beheading interests you, let me recommend that you read the article, Sanson the Hero, which deals with the most famous dynasty of executioners in Paris. Also, if you would like to visit the place where the executioners lived and which has now been turned into a lovely garden, I recommend reading Dr. Orna Lieberman's article, Square Montholon – a charming Parisian corner with a fascinating story.

Cour de Rohan

I saved this magical place for last, because it is a private place and therefore it is not always possible to enter it. If you enter the Cour du Commerce Saint-André from Saint-André des Arts street and walk a little forward, you will see a metal gate on your left. If the gate is open, or if you are lucky someone has just opened it, go inside immediately.

You will find 3 magical courtyards there that are connected to each other, one more picturesque than the other.

The place is called Hetzer Rohan, but it has no connection toThe famous Rohan family,which brought us, among other things, Palace of Sauviz In the district The MaraThis is a corruption of the name of the city of Rouen in the region. Normandy, whose archbishop owned a 14th-century palace that once stood here.

When you enter these courtyards you will discover houses, most of them from the 17th century, an old well, climbing plants, rose bushes, a trough, windows of all sizes and charming balconies. And if all this was not enough for you, in the second courtyard you will discover a small and secret house built by King Henry II (reigned between 2-1547) in honor of his mistress. Diana of Poitiers.

There is no doubt that this is a paradise for photographers and you are guaranteed that when you enter there you will feel as if you have arrived in a small and ancient village, even though you are in the center of Paris. How lucky, those who live there, managed to preserve it from the attempts of the municipality to demolish the courtyards in 1950, in order to build a series of modern buildings there…

As you leave this courtyard onto the romantic Rue Jardinet itself, try to imagine the sounds of a piano emanating from one of the houses. This is the young Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) who lived here during his childhood and who began playing here at the age of 3.

And we'll end on a personal note. Ruth Shimoni who contributed the lovely photographs you saw. She claims that she has never been to Paris without taking the trouble to enter those amazing and breathtaking courtyards. The sight of the closed courtyards today simply causes her great sorrow on the one hand, but understanding and identification with the residents of the place, who stand for their right to live in a quiet, safe, closed, intimate and atmospheric place that is not open to any tourist…

I hope you get lucky and when you visit the area, the residents decide to open the gates, even for a few hours, and you can enjoy the incredible beauty of the place.

Traveler information

I hope this article has made you want to come and visit this magical passage and the courtyards adjacent to it. If you decide to include the place in your next visit to Paris, here is some useful information to help you with your visit.

How do we get there?

The easiest and simplest way to get there is byMetroAll you have to do is take line 4 or 10, get off at Odéon station, cross the road and enter.

The culinary aspect

If you happen to arrive hungry, I have good news for you. This small passage contains two very important culinary institutions and another, a little less well-known but definitely worth a visit.

Le Procope – Paris' first café

Although the address of Le Procop is 13 Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, you can enter it directly from the passage. This was the first café in Paris, which in the 18th century gained quite a reputation, thanks to the many philosophers who sat there, whose portraits can be seen in a display case that looks out into the passage.

Culinary-wise, you'll find classic French cuisine here, but it's not particularly exciting. It's not a place with bad food or bad service (I've had a seafood platter there before, which wasn't bad at all), but in my opinion the prices are a bit too high for what you get, and there are other places nearby where you can eat well for a lower price.

In any case, if you would like to get to know this cafe and its history better, you are welcome to read the article. Le Procope – the oldest cafe in Paris.

La Jacobine

This cafe is much less famous than the two culinary institutions I mentioned, but it has quite a bit of charm and the food is not bad either. Let there be no misunderstandings, this is not a gourmet restaurant, far from it, but the crepes there are delicious and the Chocolat Chaud, according to foreign sources, is also excellent.

Beyond that, the place is definitely worth a visit, even if you don't eat there, thanks to the erotic paintings on the wall, which depict in detail naughty scenes from the late 18th century.

Address: 59-61 Rue Saint-André des Arts (entrance is from the passage).

And finally, if you don't like any of the restaurants there (or they're all booked), let me recommend that you visit the article Recommended restaurants in the 6th arrondissement, where you will surely find a restaurant or two that will be to your taste.

You've finished visiting the Passage, where should you go from there?

The two attractions that are not far from here are:

• Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
• Luxembourg Gardens

If you have already visited the two places above, I recommend you take a look at the article aboutAttractions in the 6th arrondissement And find quite a few more attractions that are not so far away and hiking trails that pass nearby.

Is it worth living in the area?

There's no doubt about it! This is one of the most central places in Paris with quite a few cafes, restaurants, and attractions. If you've decided to live near the Passage, here are some good options:

• Hotel Saint André des Arts – A spartan but very cheap hotel located on Saint André des Arts Street, a short walk from the Passage.
• Hotel Saint Pierre – Another cheap and spartan hotel not far from the Passage and very popular with my friends Joel Tamanlis.
• Odeon Hotel – A much more luxurious hotel than the previous two I mentioned, which is a short walk from the Passage and the Odeon metro station.
• Grand Hotel de L'Univers Saint-Germain – A boutique hotel with a great simple interior design and relatively reasonable prices!
• Christine Relay – A super pampering hotel designed for those for whom price is not a significant factor.

If none of these hotels are to your liking or they are all booked, I recommend that you visit the article Recommended hotels in the 6th arrondissement of Paris And find quite a few more recommended hotels in a variety of prices. If you happen to be looking for vacation apartments, don't worry - I thought of you too. All you have to do is enter the article Recommended apartments in the 6st district And find you a romantic studio or a large, luxurious apartment in the area.