We stayed the Le Marais district. Le Marais, which translates to "the swamp", dates back to the 12th century. While most of Paris was overhauled in the mid-19th century by architect Baron Georges Eugen Haussman under the direction of Napoleon III, the Le Marais district remains preserved with its Medieval and Renaissance-era architectural style and narrow streets.
Le Marais is best toured by foot. Most streets are too narrow for vehicles and pedestrians to share. (Although they try.) The main street, Rue Sain-Antoine is the only avenue place where there is 4 lanes of buses, automobiles, mopeds and bicycles all travelling in a frenzied and congested free-for-all. Although, I love to ride my bicycle, I would not dare try to try to ride a bicycle on this road!
The Le Marais quarter was favored by the royals such as Henri IV and Louis XIII. Sadly, it fell into ruin after the French Revolution in 1789, but has enjoyed a revival in the 1960's. Since this was where our hotel was located, I will be featuring several pictures from the Le Marais quarter.
One of the landmarks of Le Marais is the St. Paul - Saint Louis Church. This church is located on the main street of Le Mariais, the Rue Saint-Antione. This Jesuit church was commissioned by Louis XIII and the first mass was held in 1641 by Cardinal Richeliu. The baroque-style architecture was inspired by the Gesu Church in Rome, and features Corinthian pillars and ornate ornamentation.
This church suffered heavy damage and pillaging during the French Revolution in 1789. The Bastille, which is where the French Revolution began, is walking distance from this church. With its close proximity to the start of the revolution, it is remarkable that this church has been restored to its former glory.
So many of my friends have been asking me to post the pictures on Facebook that I took of my trip to France. I wanted to add some detail and description to these pictures to really do them justice. Please check back often, because I will be updating this blog often.
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Merci beaucoup!
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