Place Saint-Sulpice

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Place Saint Sulpice)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox street

The Place Saint-Sulpice is a large public square, dominated on its eastern side by the Church of Saint-Sulpice. It was built in 1754 as a tranquil garden in the Latin Quarter of the 6th arrondissement of Paris.

History as a tourist destination

By 1855, the Place was already a tourist destination, with several omnibuses traversing the square, and the Church highlighted.[1][2] Ticket offices for the omnibuses and trains opened on the Place by 1857.[3] By 1867, a “generally well kept water-closet” opened for people who were waiting to change omnibuses, as well as railroad ticket offices.[4] After the war and insurrection, British and American tourists were directed to see the fountain and flowers sold at the Place.[5]

As of 1894, the square, laid out in 1811 by Napoleon’s decree, was already described as “Old and New Paris” and a flower market had been established.[6] As of 1916, motor buses replaced the old omnibus.[7]

In the 1920s, there was an annual fête in May; stores selling antiques, books, and costumes lined the Place.[8] In his memoir of those days, Ernest Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast about the Place and its sites, both fixed like the benches, trees, statues of bishops, and lions, as well as the unfixed, walking pigeons.[9] A café on the square, “Café de la Mairie, served food and drinks” to Lost Generation writers, which included Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Djuna Barnes, and Samuel Beckett.[9][10]

The Café was known in the 1950s and 1960s for its “flair.”[11] Albert Camus read his daily newspaper there in those times.[12] By the turn of the Century, this café was “frequented by literary types,” publishers, and students who all enjoyed the inexpensive coffee and “the lack of so many tourists.”[13]

Several high-end brand shops opened up on the square, including Annick Goutal, Yves St Laurent, and Christian Lacroix.[13] Shopping is available at Saint-Sulpice for “a wealth of great fashion and household delights.”[14]

The big draw for tourists has always been the Church,[2][4][8] but “the entire generous space is beloved by Parisians on lush summer evenings and on frigid February nights.”[12] The Christmas Fair and an annual June antiques fair attract both locals and tourists.[12] The fountains, statuary, trees, sculptures, and seminary are also noted in guidebooks, old and new.[4][6][8] [12][14][15][16]

In 1975, George Perec famously wrote, “There are many things on the Place Saint-Sulpice.”[17] In a Futurist perspective, “Place Saint-Sulpice 2.0 is a layered place, in part a public place, in part a parochial location.”[18]

Features

In addition to the church, the square features the Fontaine Saint-Sulpice, or Fountain of the Four Bishops (Fontaine des Quatre Evêques),[9] built in the center of the square between 1844 and 1848,[12] which was designed by the architect Joachim Visconti.[4][6][8]

The first photographs of the new fountain in 1848 was by the new technology's inventor, Hippolyte Bayard.[19]

The fountain presents the statues of four bishops, all known for their excellent preaching, one on each of its sides:

Some people call this monumental fountain the Fontaine des Quatre Points cardinaux (lit. the "Fountain of the Four Cardinal Points"). This is a bit of innocent wordplay; none of the four esteemed bishops ever became a cardinal.[15]

Other features include chestnut trees,[16] the city hall (Template:Langx) of the 6th arrondissement, and the Café de la Mairie, a rendezvous for writers and students,[12][13] which featured in the 1990 film, La Discrète ("The Discreet"), directed by Christian Vincent, starring Fabrice Luchini and Judith Henry.

Servadoni had planned a coherent square of identical buildings surrounding Saint-Sulpice, but only one, at number 6, was built to his designs; the rest reflect his concepts.[20] His designs of 1754 had already been extensively reworked by the 1820s.[21]

Metro stations

Located near the Métro stations: Mabillon and Saint-Sulpice.

The square is served by lines 4 and 10.File:Paris m 4 jms.svg File:Paris Metro 10.svg

Gallery

References

Template:Reflist

External links

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Place_Saint-Sulpice&oldid=2089041"