Village St Paul - Paris 3rd & 4th

	Introduction Musee Picasso Place des Vosges Village St Paul Ile St Louis Back to Guide

Introduction

It was created when the area was renovated and is a maze of courtyards on different levels, entirely occupied by galleries, libraries, antique boutiques and a few cafes where loitering is a delight. It's like a village in the middle of Paris, located between the quai des Celestins, rue St.Paul and rue Charlemagne, protected from the outside by houses surrounding the village. The shops and dealers display their goods in cute interior courtyards. It's open every day except on Tuesdays of Wednesdays from 11.00 to 19.00. More than sixty "brocanteurs and antiquaires" are assembled there.

Exit the Village Saint-Paul in the rue des Jardins, left to the next corner and you are in front of the HOTEL DE SENS. Built in 1475-1519 to give a home to the archbishop of Paris, it was soon considered as one of the most beautiful palace of Paris. It has beautiful windows and a stunning gothic porch. In 1558 the Concile de Sens found Martin Luther guilty of heresy. Later the hotel was the home of Marguerite de Navarre, better known as la Reine Margot, the unfaithful spouse of Henri IV. After being storage for jam products, it became finally the contemporary bibliotheque Forney, specialized in arts and applied sciences. You must absolutely go and visit the interior courtyard and very well restored reading room: the bibliotheque Forney.