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Place Saint-Sulpice

Coordinates: 48°51′3″N 2°20′0″E / 48.85083°N 2.33333°E / 48.85083; 2.33333
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Place Saint-Sulpice
View of the square and the Fountain of the Four Bishops from the Church of Saint-Sulpice
Place Saint-Sulpice is located in Paris
Place Saint-Sulpice
Shown within Paris
Length60 m (200 ft)
Width60 m (200 ft)
Arrondissement6th
QuarterLatin Quarter
Coordinates48°51′3″N 2°20′0″E / 48.85083°N 2.33333°E / 48.85083; 2.33333
Construction
Completion1754
DenominationSaint-Sulpice

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

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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

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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 (French: mairie) 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

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

The square is served by lines 4 and 10.

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References

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  1. ^ Paris Complete. A New Alphabetical Guide for the Traveller in Paris, Etc. 1855. pp. 13–14.
  2. ^ a b Monteith, Alexander H. (1855). Monteith's handbook to the sights of Paris, and guide to the great exhibition. pp. 26, 61.
  3. ^ Guide for strangers visiting Paris, with ... views and a map, etc. 1857. pp. 11–14, 231.
  4. ^ a b c d Joanne, Adolphe Laurent (1867). The Diamond Guide for the Stranger in Paris. pp. 12–13, 39, 57, 82.
  5. ^ Du Lorin, Florian Hervé (1873). Paris Before, During and After the War and Its Insurrection: An Indispensable Guide to English and American Visitors to Paris. Imprimerie Symonds & Company. pp. 28, 58.
  6. ^ a b c Edwards, Henry Sutherland (1894). Old and New Paris: Its History, Its People, and Its Places ... p. 173.
  7. ^ Sax, Charles (1916). The English Tourist in France. Delagrave. p. 136.
  8. ^ a b c d e White, Watson (1926). The Paris that is Paris. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 308, 312, 335–340.
  9. ^ a b c Fitch, Noel R. (1992). Walks In Hemingway's Paris: A Guide To Paris For The Literary Traveler. St Martin’s. pp. 61–62.
  10. ^ Micucci, Dana (2001). Artists in residence. Little Bookroom. p. 135. ISBN 9781892145000.
  11. ^ Eckerlin, Peter; Pastré, Elke (2001). Paris. Nelles. p. 69. ISBN 9783886188604.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Cahill, Susan (2022). Sacred Paris: A Guide to the Churches, Synagogues, and the Grand Mosque in the City of Light. ISBN 9781250239693.
  13. ^ a b c Clemente, Maribeth (2001). The Riches of Paris: A Shopping and Touring Guide. pp. 209–210, 216. ISBN 9780312269074.
  14. ^ a b Applefield, David (2008). The Unofficial Guide to Paris. Wiley. pp. 385, 392. ISBN 9780470138281.
  15. ^ a b Glyn, Anthony; Glyn, Susan (2000). The Companion Guide to Paris. Companion Guides. pp. 244–246, 308. ISBN 9781900639200.
  16. ^ a b Rough Guides (ed.). The Rough Guide to Paris (Travel Guide EBook). ISBN 9781839059131.
  17. ^ Hazan, Eric (2011). The Invention of Paris: A History in Footsteps. Verso Books. p. 99. ISBN 9781844678006.
  18. ^ Licoppe, Christisn (2017). "Conclusion". Afterlives of Georges Perec. p. 222. ISBN 9781474401258.
  19. ^ Roubert, Paul-Louis (2024). Hippolyte Bayard and the Invention of Photography. Getty Trust. p. 191.
  20. ^ Sutcliffe, Anthony (1996). Paris: An Architectural History. Yale University Press. p. 52. ISBN 9780300068863.
  21. ^ The History of Paris from the Earliest Period to the Present Day: Containing a Description of Its Antiquities, Public Buildings, Civil, Religious, Scientific, and Commercial Institutions. Vol. 3. G. B. Whittaker. 1827. p. 125.
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