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onjour!
Bonjour, this month we would like to tell you the story of a mythical Parisian neighborhood. It is an area
particularly valued for its distinctive atmosphere. Perhaps you've already heard of it, already
admired its exclusive stores' windows, already entered one of its numerous art galleries or stopped
for a drink at one of its famous cafés known for their pricey beverages? Perhaps you've simply
strolled along its colorful and lively streets or discovered those charming little squares that
resemble those found in many villages? Nonetheless, we do indeed hope to surprise you by going back
in time to the origin of this neighborhood, to reveal what you might not suspect... that its real richness
lies in its history. We hope that after reading this newsletter, you will look at the famous neighborhood
of St-Germain-des-Prés in a whole new light.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
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The Church of St-Germain-des-Prés
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We start our newsletter with this magnificent structure that draws your eye right from the outset.
The church of St-Germain stands in all its grace and beauty, at once elegant and majestic. It is
not very imposing, just about 213 ft long by 69 ft wide, but it is nonetheless one of the largest
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Saint-Germain Abbey
(Click photo to enlarge)
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Romanesque structures in Paris, and its square clock tower built in 1014 is the oldest in France.
Why does it appear so beautiful to us while it also seems to have just been dropped there, at the
edge of a main thoroughfare, as if an architect had mixed up his urban design plans? Why does it
inspire such solemnity, standing as it does right in the middle of such constant agitation? Maybe
it's simply because it is the one who belongs there. The neighborhood's complete transformation
over the centuries hasn't changed a thing; this church always made its presence felt, firmly
anchored on a piece of land that it has owned from the beginning of time. If these walls could
talk, they would tell us of all the destruction and all the suffering that they endured or
witnessed since they were erected. This church is the emblem of St-Germain-des-Prés not just
because it is so splendid but also and mainly because it is the very heart of this neighborhood.
Without it, the St-Germain that we love so much would not exist.
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Childebert
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It was in 542 that Clovis' son, Childebert I, who had converted to Christianity, started
building a basilica. He wished to house there the precious relics that he had brought back
from his Spanish campaigns: the tunic of St Vincent, a deacon martyred in Saragossa, and a
piece of gold work from Toledo in the shape of a cross enshrined with gems and said to contain
a fragment of the real Cross. Of course, he would also make this richly decorated place his
necropolis, as well as that of his descendants. Childebert died on the very day after its consecration
in December of 558, but he had already entrusted the completion of the monastery to Germain,
Bishop of Paris. It wasn't long before the pilgrims flocked to the basilica to pray in front
of the precious relics in the hope of a miracle, and also to listen to Germain's sermons. His
big heart and natural ability as a preacher were recognized far beyond Paris. The royal abbey
was thriving, with large income endowments from the king and large amounts of land acquired
through various donations. It housed so many treasures that the Normans looted it every time
they invaded the area, eventually burning it to the ground in 855. It was rebuilt by the Benedictine
monks in the early 1000s and continued to prosper for several centuries. But the decree eliminating
religious orders that was issued in 1790 would deal the final blow and, sadly, lead to its dismantling.
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Recipe for Jan 2012
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Traditional French Gingerbread
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The Advantage of Being on the River Seine
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In the 6th century, it was the topography of the area that played a big role in the choice of
location to build the abbey. Back then, the river Seine was quite a bit larger than it is today
and the left bank was constantly flooded by rises in water levels. The abbey was therefore built
on a wide raised meadow about 23 ft above the low-level water so that it could keep its feet dry.
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Walking by the Church
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However, in the Middle Ages, the proximity of the Seine offered the monks many more advantages
than drawbacks. Indeed, in addition to the taxes they collected on the waterway network, house
construction, various trades, stores, and treasures, considerable income was also brought in by
shipwrecks, abandoned boats, drifting cargo, and even drowning victims. Fishing was also very
lucrative: the monks claimed ownership of the Seine from the Petit Pont (Little Bridge) to the
commune of Sèvres, and along with it, the exclusive rights to the roach fish, carps, pikes and
salmons all year round. When in the 12th century the church took the name of St-Germain, the
suffix "on the prairies" was added. This term was chosen in reference to the large and humid
flood plains formed due to their proximity to the Seine, and allowed the distinction between
this specific huge abbey and those of St-Germain-le-Vieux (the Old) and St-Germain-l'Auxerrois
(of Auxerre) established on the right bank.
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Life in the Abbey
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The monks made everything they needed on the premises. They had working for them: farmers, framers,
finish carpenters, masons, coopers, even winegrowers (the well exposed sides of the Ste-Geneviève
mountain lent themselves to wine growing) and bakers to make bread, as residents were forced to
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Square Clock Tower
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come have their bread baked there or they would be fined. Farmers and craftsmen therefore gathered
around the monastery that offered them financial protection while providing them with a market, a
dovecote, a mill, a press, and a hospital. Monks also watched over morals as they were the ones who
dispensed high and low justice and ran the prison as well. They split their time between prayer and
study, copying and illustrating the ancient texts with illuminations. This is how a very flourishing
source of culture and spirituality developed during the 13th century in particular. Its intellectual
influence persisted over five centuries, probably an early sign that this neighborhood would be taken
over by the Parisian and foreign elite in the 20th century. On the eve of the French Revolution, the
library held close to 50,000 volumes and 7,000 manuscripts. Almost all of these precious documents
went up in smoke in 1794.
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Burgus Sancti Germani
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A papal bull in 1174 established that the inhabitants gathered around the abbey formed a
recognized community. From that day on, the development and power of the "Burgus Sancti
Germani" (the suburb of St-Germain) just kept growing. Feeling empowered by the protection
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Life by the Church
(Click photo to enlarge)
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and financial security that the abbey provided them, the residents felt solidarity with each
other as they were aware of belonging to a privileged "caste" in some sense. The town lived
by the rhythm of its own monastic life, completely independent of the existing centralized
royal policies. At the end of the 13th century, St-Germain wasn't part of Paris but its own
separate suburb. This system worked until 1674 when Louis XIV abolished any sort of special
justice. From then on, and until the French Revolution, the bourgeois living outside the abbey
enclosure had to answer to the Paris provost.
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From the Fortress to the Noble Suburb |
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Despite the financial prosperity and intellectual influence enjoyed by the abbey of St-Germain,
there were many setbacks over the centuries in a France often at war. The need for defense became
a pressing matter, and the king ordered the abbey that had remained in the outskirts of Paris to
protect itself. Since it had not been included within the surrounding walls that Charles V had
built around Paris starting in 1368, the abbey surrounded itself with high crenellated ramparts
flanked by three large corner towers, two turrets and five guerites, all lined by a deep moat
filled with Seine water. In 1637, as the victorious campaigns of Louis XIV eliminated any danger
to the capital city, the ramparts were destroyed and the moat was filled in. Streets appeared
there in 1640 and houses were built on the edge, contributing to a complete transformation of
this area. In January 1702, the Sun King ruled that the new Paris would be divided into 20
neighborhoods and that the 20th would be that of the abbey and suburb of St-Germain-des-Prés,
from then on attached to the city. St-Germain then saw another strong demographic growth when
the courtiers wanting to get closer to the king who lived in Versailles abandoned the Marais in
favor of this new Parisian neighborhood, where they built themselves sumptuous residences.
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Anywhere but Never St-Germain!
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St-Germain enjoyed ever-increasing prosperity and therefore never stopped attracting new
residents since the construction of its abbey, with the exception of a few particularly
troubled and dangerous times in the history of France. However, there was one person who
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Beautiful Church of Saint-Germain
(Click photo to enlarge)
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did everything in her power to never live there, Catherine de Medici. One day, as the queen
was questioning her astrologer Ruggieri about her death, his answer was simply: St-Germain!
From that day on, Catherine de Medici, hoping to evade the evil influence of the stars, did
all she could to stay clear of any place that carried that name in any form whatsoever. This
is why she gave up her palace at the Tuileries which happened to be in the parish of St-Germain
l'Auxerrois. She also gave up her palace in the St-Maur abbey located near St-Germain-des-Prés
and never set foot again in the castle of St-Germain-en-Laye. But in December 1588, while she
was staying at the castle of Blois, she fell gravely ill. A priest was called to administer the
Last Rites and, out of breath, she asked for his name. He answered, "My name is Julien de
St-Germain". Catherine de Médicis died ten days later!
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An Invitation to Travel... |
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It is on this somewhat sad and strange note that we end this newsletter. Nonetheless, it
remains that this neighborhood is beautiful, as no doubt those of my readers who know it can
attest. Just the same, I invite you to go back there when you return to France, or to discover
St-Germain if it is your first visit to Paris. I have no doubt that you will contemplate this
magnificent church with new eyes. Do take the time to imagine this rich abbey standing there
in the middle of a vast meadow, then this huge fortress that, in the 14th century, occupied an
area stretching between what is today the Boulevard St-Germain, the Rue St-Benoît, the Rue Jacob,
and the Rue de l'Échaudé. While you stroll along the Rue du Four, imagine the residents
coming to have their bread baked to avoid getting fined, or if you stroll along the Rue de la
Boucherie, imagine all the much regulated butcher blocks. And along the banks of the Seine, can
you not just see all those roach fish, pikes and salmons springing out of the water or weaving in
and out of the current? You will then find yourself far removed from the cliché of
St-Germain-des-Prés as it is known. May I suggest we continue our atypical visit to
St-Germain in our next newsletter, when we'll once more step back in time and, I hope, I will
surprise you again!
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