April stroll in the quiet 7th arrondissement

This month, Paris Hotels Charm invites you to explore an area of Paris that was shaped in the 1780s by a large-scale real-estate investment scheme. Architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart bought up farmland, divided it into lots, and built mansions, which led to the creation of new streets: Rues Monsieur, Duroc, Masserais, and Éblé. At the same time, broader avenues were laid out to connect the Military Academy to the Invalides and to Rue de Sèvres. Although the development of the 7th arron­dissement dates on the whole from the 18th and 19th centuries, only a few mansions from that period remain, along Rue Mas­seran, Rue Monsieur, and Rue Oudinot. Their gardens, rarely visible, are off Boulevard des Invalides. We will be strolling a neighborhood which is primarily residential, with many lavish Second Empire mansions, schools, and religions communities, but also government ministries.

• - Start: Rue Oudinot (Métro Saint-François-Xavier or Duroc)
• - Finish: Square Boucicaut (Métro Sèvres-Babylone)

Rue Oudinot

Starting from Boulevard des Invalides, this is where Les Oiseaux prison was located during the Reign of Terror. It later became a convent, and was finally torn down in 1908. We will stroll beside the imposing wall of the Ministère de l’Outre-Mer (Overseas Ministry). Its main entrance is at 27 Rue Oudinot. At the far end of the courtyard is the main hall. The ground floor has four simple pilasters with lonic capitals. Over the second story is a sculpted pediment with military motifs. The lateral façades underwent several alterations. This mansion was originally the Hôtel de Rambouillet de la Sablière. In 1781, it became the property of count de Montmorin-Saint-Hérem, Minister of foreign Affairs, executed in 1792. His daughter, Pauline de Beaumont, was the romantic writer Chateaubriand’s mistress. Brongniart is credited for the pilasters on the façade. Napoleon rented the mansion for Cardinal Caprara, the Vatican nuncio. In 1910, the property was assigned to the government’s Ministry. The corner lot across the street is occupied by 22 Rue Oudinot and 49 Boulevard des Invalides (note the columns between the ground-floor windows). The arcs above the tall, dark green carriage doors are decorated with fox heads surrounded by oak leaves. This was the townhouse that Brongniart built for himself in 1781. Lets go back to the odd-numbered side of this street. Behind the carriage door at 23, there is an entire complex of old houses with little gardens, on either side of a paved lane. It feels like a charming little village from some other era. The majestic Clinique Saint-Jean-de-Dieu is at numbers 19 and 21. Founded in 1843 by Paul de Magallon of the Order of the Brothers Hospitallers of St.-John of God. It has a large and splendid garden that is a pleasure to stroll through in early summer, when the fragrant roses bloom. The clinic was built on a property that pre­viously belonged to Madame de La Sablière. Famous French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine was her protégé and often stayed in her home. She lobbied for his admission to the Aca­démie Française, where he replaced Colbert on May 2, 1684. Novelist Barbey d’Aurevilly lived across the street at 6, and 12 was the home of poet François Coppée.

Rue Rousselet

The calm and secretive Rue Rousselet runs beside the clinic’s garden wall. Its name in 1676 was Chemin des Vachers (Cowherds’ Trail), because it was used to drive cattle to graze on the pastures of the Champ-de-Mars and the Esplanade des Inva­lides. It was later renamed for Ambroise Rousselet, a high-ranking tax officer, who owned much of the land here in the early 18th century. This street was practically a literary circle of its own at the turn of the 20th century, and is primarily known for the literary giants who lived here: Barbey d’Aurevilly at 25 from 1859 to, 1898, Léon Bloy lived at 2, Paul-Émile Borduas, a painter from Quebec, lived at 19, and Paul Léautaud lived at 17. Rue Rousselet is located on the Grande Randonnée trail crossing Paris from east to west, and on wee­kends, one is likely to encounter hikers.

Rue Monsieur

Let’s head back up to Rue Oudinot. At 23, we will turn onto Rue Monsieur. Its name refers to the crea­tion of the street by “Monsieur”, King Louis XVI’s brother, who owned a tract of land stretching from Rue de Babylone to Rue Oudinot. The new street was made to provide access to the stables he built in 1779. One year later, architect Brongniart bought the lands for a housing development. In the space of a few years, three magnificent mansions (still standing today) were erected at numbers 20, 12, and 8. Number 20 is presently home to the Ministère de la Coopération (the Ministry of Economic and Cultural Cooperation with former colonies). This is the former Hôtel de Montes­quiou, built by Brongniart in 1781, across from Monsieur’s stables. Across the street is a plaque infor­ming us that Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin lived in the house at number 15. The famous Hôtel de Bourbon-Condé at 12 bas a gated entrance framed by four pilasters with Ionic capitals. It was built by Brongniart too. He desi­gned it in 1783 for Louise-Adélaïde de Bourbon-Condé who was a sister of the Duke de Bourbon. Despite the various owners and occupants since the French Revolution, the mansion bas preserved its music room decora­ted with ionic pilasters, Mademoiselle de Bourbon’s boudoir, and the magni­ficent façade on the immense garden (which tan be glimpsed from the Boulevard des Invalides). The white front door flanked by two smaller houses masks the Hôtel de Jarnac at number 8, erected between 1784 and 1787 by Étienne-François Legrand and rented by Marie-Charles de Rohan-Chabot, count de Jarnac. Today, it is a private property and not open to the public. If you are fortu­nate enough to be walking by when the gate is open, you may notice its resemblance to a villa designed by Palladio, with a peristyle. Note that it is possible to get a glimpse of this historical mansion’s back façade by going through the building belonging to the Saint-François-Xavier cha­plaincy at 39 Boulevard des Invalides to the garden in the rear, adjacent to the grounds of the Hôtel de Jarnac.

Rue de Babylone

Rue Monsieur takes us straight to Rue de Babylone, where we will turn right. This street was named for the bishop of Babylon, who donated his houses and lands for a seminary to train missionaries. The exotic La Pagode cinema at 57 bis stands on the corner with Rue Mon­sieur. The history behind this odd structure begins a bit like a fairy tale. Mr. Morin, the director of the Bon Marché department store, was very much in love with his wife. In 1895, at the height of the trend for Japanese exoticism, he decided to ^present his wife with a real pagoda for her garden. Allegedly, certain elements in the structure, such as the carved wooden beams, were custom-made by crafts­men in the Empire of the Rising Sun. Petit-Palais architect Alexandre Mar­cel oversaw the reconstruction with an eye for authenticity in every detail: gilding, varnished tiles, frescoes, dragons, etc… Mrs. Morin was delighted with the gift. She let her imagi­nation go wild, holding lavish receptions and masquerade balls. Nevertheless, the very year the edifice was comple­ted, she left her husband for his partner’s son. The fairy tale had a vaudeville ending. In 1986, La Pagode, which had been a legendary art­-house movie theater since the 1950s, was listed on the historic register. It’s a must-­see, with its exotic bamboo garden, Japanese maples, and purple and white flo­wers. The tropical species make it one of the marvels of Paris in the summertime. Let’s continue strolling along Rue de Babylone toward Rue du Bac. Alter Rue Vaneau on our right, we may go daydream in the shade of the fruit trees in the Jardin Catherine Labouré, recently opened on the grounds of the Hôtel de La Vallière, where the Daughters of Charity grew fruit and vegetables for their convent. It is now a public park maintained by the city appreciated but those who wish to escape the noise of Rue de Sèvres and Rue du Bac. Its cross-like shape is lined with inviting lawns, shaded by apple, cherry, and pear trees. On the right, a trellis is laden with grape vines, near the hazelnut and raspberry bushes. Behind 36 Rue de Babylone, you can get a teint of the neigh­boring – and huge – grounds of the Hôtel de Matignon, which houses the prime minister’s offices. The Louis XVI style Hôtel de Cassini at 32 has long been given over to government offices, the Direction Générale de l’Administra­tion et de la Fonction Publique having made its home there since 1976. Rue de Babylone soon runs into Rue du Bac, and this is where we shall veer to the left.

 Rue du Bac on either side of Rue de Babylone

The houses on the corner of Rue de Babylone and Rue du Bac belonged to the first seminary of the Missions Étran­gères de Paris (Paris Foreign Missions Society) founded in 1644 at 128 Rue du Bac. Let’s go into the courtyard and explore the chapel which borders it on one side. The chapel was built in 1683 by master mason Lepas-Dubuisson on plans drawn up by architect Pierre Lambert for the missionary society. The society itself was founded in 1644 by Father Bernard de Sainte-Thérèse, bishop of Babylon, who wanted a seminary to train ecclesiastical students for mis­sionary work. Be sure to visit the crypt. It is prolonged by a gallery containing the display cabinets of the interesting and moving hall of martyrs, a repository for the souvenirs and relies of missionaries martyred in Vietnam, Korea, Tibet, and Japan in the 19th century. The hall of martyrs and the crypt are open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 6:30 pm, and Sunday from 1-6 pm. The society has one of the lar­gest private gardens in Paris, lying in front of a magnificent building erected in 1732 to house curiosities brought back by the missionaries: rare plants, a Chinese bell, an oratory, statues, etc. Visits are allowed only during annual national architectural heritage days (journées du patrimoine). Returning to the beginning of the block, let’s cross Rue de Babylone to explore the other end of the Rue du Bac. At 136 is a house built in 1737 for the Hôpital des Incurables, which was purchased in 1859 by the Daughters of Charity. In 1812, they had moved into the 1681 Hôtel de Lassay at 140, alter commissioning the architect Damesne to accommo­date a convent and chapel for them there. The order was created in 1634 by Louise de Marillac at the instigation of Saint Vincent de Paul. The Virgin is believed to have appeared here five times in July and November 1830, to Catherine Labouré, before she even became a postulate. This belief has made the chapel a special place of devotion, attracting visitors from far beyond the neighborhood. Let’s go through the gate at 140 and take the path lined with convent buildings on our right. On our left is a wall with bas-reliefs relating the life story of Catherine Labouré. This tiny lane is often crowded with pilgrims who have come to buy one of the famous “miraculous medals” now available in rather prosaic vending machines. In the chapel, clergy and lay people from all over the world pray to the Virgin. Beside the choir, to the right, the body of Sister Catherine Labouré (+1876) is displayed behind glass, and to the left is the tomb of Louise de Marillac, whose remains were transferred here in 1920. Visitors are awed by the realism of these bodies. Across the street from 136 Rue du Bac, on the façade of the department store, one can still make out the engraving rea­ding simply “Magasin Aristide Boucicaut,” known far and wide as the Bon Marché (see inset). It stands not only on the site of the old Hospice des Petites Maisons, which pro­vided care for sick children, the pour, the crippled, the insane, and those with venereal diseases, but also covers two cemeteries closed in the 18th century: that of the hos­pice, and a parish cemetery of Saint-Sulpice.