The Cour du Commerce Saint-André fascinates. In the heart of the Odéon , it connects the Boulevard Saint-Germain to the rue Saint Andre des Arts. Meanwhile genuine partners with a rich history , and it deserves our attention is the fact you discover.
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The history of this open transition begins in the eighteenth century. First field of real tennis, it is placed on the moat of the enclosure Philippe Auguste that delimited the city of Paris. We can also see, even today, the vestiges of this mythical fortification. At No. 4, in the restaurant A Sunday in Paris, you can see the remains of a tower . But this is not the only nod to the history of Paris we offer this charming courtyard. Indeed, it can boast of being a haven for thinkers and ... for revolutionaries .
A stop for the intellectual elite
Here found themselves the great Enlightenment thinkers and especially the Procope , the rear door opens onto the courtyard. This cafe, the oldest in Paris , opened in 1686 and has seen beautiful people on its tables. Voltaire , Rousseau , Diderot and Montesquieu had their habits. It is then the Revolutionary men who make it their HQ: Danton , Marat or Robespierre. And this is not an insignificant choice. The first lived in the passage, at number 20. We can unfortunately see his sublime with 7 rooms, construction of the Boulevard Saint-Germain have amputated part of the court. A statue of him has still been installed where was located his home , now on the boulevard. This is where Danton lived for five years before his arrest on March 30, 1794.
A little further in the passage is another size of the Revolution we had to deal. Marat had installed the printing of his political newspaper The Friend of the People . a bell, Still visible above the roof of the cafe, was stunned to know that the newspaper was ready. so we can easily imagine the strong protest power that emanated from the small courtyard of the sixth arrondissement ...
A fatal role
In 1792, Marat and Danton had a strange neighbor: the Schmidt carpenter . This name may not tell you much, but it's in his studio that a Joseph Ignace Guillotin has created his most famous invention developed. The first tests of the guillotine that were held in the passage, first with bales of straw and then with live sheep . The death machine was then moved for tests on the bodies, and then to its glory days of the Greve .
A place full of charm
With this rather busy past, yet it is the many shops that the street is named. And that's charming old shops that still shines today. One can admire the many old signs . We recommend you to sit down for a coffee at Procope or Relay Odeon , another legendary address whose Art Nouveau facade is worth a glance. During our walk, we cross eras and old cobblestones help us make this leap in time. Facades, roofs, three inputs and canopy are also registered securities of historical monuments . The latter was not there originally, but the trend walkways hit the area and was therefore built in the nineteenth century. This covered part is very elaborate and gives even more majesty to the Cour du Commerce Saint-André . If you want to stroll takes, you can also reach the sublime Rohan courtyard nearby. It will also cover many treasures to discover. Caution, however, it is often closed. Be aware kindly ask residents to let us go there.
