Walking Tour and Paris History

On Friday we joined the Paris Walking Tours in the Latin Quarter for a jaunt surrounding the Mouffetard market street, an area that Hemmingway wrote about in his final book "A moveable Feast". Hemmingway stayed in these neighboorhoods and did not engage the other American Ex-Patriots writers during his stay in Paris. These walking tours are full of information and only cost 10 euros. For a 1.5 hour (we got two hours because our guide Chris was full of other information), it's a deal. He told us about where Paris got most of the limestone to build the many buildings and monuments. The limestone was mined under the city, to a point where it became dangerous and one neighboorhood actually collapsed. It is now against the law to explore in most of the catacombs under the city, and many have been filled in and/or reinforced to prevent cave ins. Limestone is a sedimentary stone, resulting from years and years of organisms piling up in the water that once filled the Paris basin.

This picture is a remaining section of a medival wall built to protect Paris from English invasion. It is made up of the limestone quarried from beneath the city.

Paris History

The present site of Paris was settled by a Celtic tribe know as the Parissi around 250 BC. Paris flurished due to the strategic location on the Seine, important for trade and commerce. The Romans took control around 52 BC and named the settlement Lutetia. In 212 the settlement was renamed Paris for the original tribe that settled the area. The Romans retained control until their empire crumbled in the 5th century.

In 451 Attilla the Hun was prepared to invade the area, and legend has it that St. Geneviève convinced the citizens of Paris stay and defend the city. Atilla instead diverted his army to Orleans, which was attributed to the prayers if St. Geneviève. She remains the patron saint of the city to this date.

Her remains were often paraded around the city when times were particularly bad. Supposedly this prevented the Germans from invading the city in WWI. During the French revolution as the French rejected all association with the Church and the Royal families, her remains were destroyed. This picture (from the Pantheon) depicts St. Geneviève convincing the Parisans not to flee the city.

This church, St Etienne-du-Mont, contains the last remaining fragment of St. Geneviève, a finger.

As part of the French revolution many references to Saints and royality were removed from public. Here is a picture containing a street sign from that period. The reference to Saint was chiseled from the sign.

Hemmingway stayed in the neighborhood surrounding the Mouffetard market street. This picture shows the building in which he lived during this period.