Intact medieval architecture is a rarity in Paris. Most of what’s left are fragments: pieces that went through destruction, additions and conversions. A jumble of styles is very much Paris’s signature. Inside the tower of Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless, 1371–1419), built in the early 15th century, you’ll find an original attempt to catalog these remains.
Surviving Traces of Medieval Paris Today
First, the walls. There’s the wall of Philip II Augustus (r. 1180–1223), a large stretch of which still stands in the Saint-Paul quarter, and the wall of Charles V (r. 1364–1380), parts of which were excavated beneath the Louvre, where you can see them today. From the wall that once surrounded the royal palace on the Île de la Cité, only the towers facing the Quai de l’Horloge remain.
Second, palaces and fortresses. These include the medieval Louvre, the Château de Vincennes, and the royal palace on the Île de la Cité, parts of which still remain.
Third, churches. Very few escaped being damaged. Sainte-Chapelle, above all, survived almost miraculously. Mostly you find fragments of churches whose construction began in the Middle Ages and was completed during the Renaissance. Some churches started out in the Romanesque style and continued in Gothic. But the most common mix is late Gothic combined with early Renaissance. Since builders usually started with the chancel and worked outward, that part is the oldest. In many churches, the style changes every few meters, in length, width and height, and also in the decoration and furnishings. Exploring these details can be fascinating when you know what to look for.
In many cases, when construction dragged on for too long, or when a church’s patrons grew tired of the Gothic style and wanted something more fashionable, the result was some fairly dreadful mismatches. Even the finest Gothic gems, like Notre-Dame, suffered from this. Other houses of worship went through similar treatment, including Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois.
Fourth, the nobles’ mansions, the first hôtels built in the heart of the Marais that have survived: the Hôtel de Clisson (around 1440), the Hérouët tower, and above all the Hôtel de Sens in the south of the Marais, one of only two medieval houses to survive completely intact. The other is the Hôtel de Cluny from the early 16th century, in the Latin Quarter.
Fifth, residential houses. The house at 3 Rue Volta in the 3rd arrondissement is perhaps the oldest in Paris, and the one that most recalls the building style of the early 15th century: entirely timber-framed. The same goes for the house built by Nicolas Flamel (c. 1330–1418) at 51 Rue de Montmorency, and two timber houses on Rue François Miron.
An exceptional gem is the library of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers, originally the monks’ refectory. And there’s more, hidden deeper still. Take, for example, one particular building that was completely converted, where of all things the parking garage is pure Gothic!
The Secret Crypt on Rue de Rivoli
About two hundred meters west of Châtelet, on Rue de Rivoli, you’ll find the C&A department store, which belongs to a Dutch company and sells only clothing. Beneath the store sits a listed historic monument, though not a protected one, so the owners aren’t required to let the public visit, which is a shame. I somehow heard about it, got curious, and managed to arrange a visit.
What we’re talking about is the guardroom of a house from the 12th century, maybe even the 11th (the archives burned). This was the home of wealthy merchants, who kept a private guard, which was essential at the height of the Middle Ages. The crypt-like hall is very tall, and near the top you can see traces of windows. That’s evidence that eight hundred years ago, the street level of Paris was much lower: back then this was the ground floor, since guards don’t station themselves in a basement, but at street level, next to the house’s entrance, ready for action.
Today the hall serves as a break room for employees. I suggested to the store manager at the time that she open a café there for customers; a site this old, at least a century older than Sainte-Chapelle, might draw a curious crowd. She wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but said she’d consider visit requests, if and when they come in.
Getting there
Address: 126 Rue de Rivoli
Metro: Louvre-Rivoli (line 1)
The Tower of Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless)
At 22 Rue Étienne Marcel, just south of the Passage du Grand Cerf, stands the remnant of a medieval castle: the tower of Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless, 1371–1419), which most people walk right past without noticing, since it’s squeezed in among residential buildings. Its importance lies in how rare surviving buildings from its era are. Originally this was the Hôtel d’Artois, built in 1270 and resting against the wall of Philip II Augustus. In 1384, it became the Paris residence of the Dukes of Burgundy.
Duke Jean, who lived in the house, ordered the assassination of his cousin Louis of Orléans (1372–1407), the king’s brother, which triggered a bloody war of revenge between the house of Burgundy and its rivals, and briefly altered the course of French history: Jean seized power in Paris in 1409, expanded the palace, and built the fortified tower to protect himself against the revenge he expected. He was driven out a few years later and was eventually killed. When his grandson Charles the Bold (1433–1477), Duke of Burgundy, died, the duchy was annexed to the crown of France.
In 1543 the estate was divided up, and the Rue Française was cut through part of the land. In 1548, monks built a performance hall there, which by 1629 had become the theater of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, whose troupe competed with Molière’s (1622–1673). The other part was sold to a certain Diego Mendoza and became known as the Hôtel Mendoza. Later it served as a cabaret, a charity warehouse, and the premises of the locksmith Bricard, whose eponymous museum now stands in the Marais. The opening of Rue Étienne Marcel in the 19th century led to the house’s demolition, except for the tower, which was declared a protected historic monument in 1884 and reinforced since it was in danger of collapsing. It was restored in 1991. In 1999, after 730 years, it opened to the public.
The tower of Jean sans Peur is hoping to become the first dedicated center for medieval tourism in Paris. Already, the entrance hall offers plenty of information about surviving medieval buildings in Paris, organized by type. The information, also available in English at the front desk, makes it possible to plan a theme-based, period-focused visit around Paris. Five floors of the tower are devoted to the Middle Ages and everyday life in the 15th century. A spiral staircase, of the kind that once stood in the Louvre of Charles V and no longer exists, leads upward. The stairwell is decorated with foliage motifs, a masterpiece preserved for 600 years. The top floor was the bedroom of the murderous Jean.
Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers
The ancient complex of the Conservatoire, originally the priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, encompasses the Musée des Arts et Métiers, two deconsecrated churches, and buildings still used for teaching today. The entrance is on Rue Saint-Martin, not far from the Porte Saint-Martin, facing a large public garden. Next to the garden stands an impressive building, formerly the Théâtre de la Gaîté.
The priory’s existence is documented back to the 8th century. It was rebuilt in the 11th century in a mixed style, Romanesque and Gothic. Only the 12th-century chapel survives from it, one of the earliest examples of the emerging Gothic style, slender and refined in its lines. At the corner of Rue Saint-Martin, a tower still rises, left over from Paris‘s 12th-century fortifications. The jewel of the complex is the library, which long ago served as the monks’ refectory. It’s a long, narrow hall whose ceiling, columns and capitals look like those of a Gothic church. One wall is entirely stained glass. Today it’s a technical library, with a sign warning about pickpockets. There’s no information posted about the building itself, which was built in the 13th century by Pierre de Montreuil (d. 1267), who also built Sainte-Chapelle. Don’t miss it.
Want to read more about medieval Paris?
Feel free to check out the article on the history of Paris and read the sections covering the early and late Middle Ages. I’d also recommend the walking route through Paris in the footsteps of Victor Hugo (1802–1885), since he took great interest in the Middle Ages and saved quite a few buildings from that period from being torn down.
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