Paris by the Numbers – 6th

My Paris by the Numbers series continues this week with the 6th arrondissement. As I mentioned last week, there are 20 arrondissements in Paris and I’m covering each and every one over the next few months. The landmarks I have chosen in each neighborhood are the ones that appealed to us, so this won’t be an inclusive list of sites for each neighborhood.

As a side note, theTravelsketcher and I have been very fortunate to have visited Paris on many occasions. When we lived in Normandie, Paris was just two hours away by train, so we visited often and became familiar with this enchanting city.

The 6th arrondissement, like the 5th, is also part of the Latin Quarter. Here you’ll find the Luxembourg Gardens, Le Precope, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris and Église Saint Germain des Prés just to name a few of the interesting locations.

Le Precope claims to be the oldest restaurant in Paris, however, that statement is misleading. It was established by a Sicilian chef in 1686 and closed in 1872; it remained closed until it 1957. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was a popular hangout for writers and artists. We ate here once and found the food to be mediocre. La Tour d’Argent holds the title for the oldest restaurant in Paris.

When our daughter and son-in-law visited France in 2023, we took a dinner cruise to celebrate her birthday, which started in the 6th. Le Calife is the company we chose, and we were very pleased with customer service, food and the overall experience.

Luxembourg Garden is an amazing place to visit. This 50+ acre park dates back to 1612 when Luxembourg Palace was constructed as the home of Marie d’Medici, the widow of King Henry IV. Marie d’Medici was from Florence and wanted the palace modeled after the Pitti Palace. (For more on Florence, click here for my post). Today, the palace is the home of the French Senate. The garden contains statues, fountains, tree-lined walkways, tennis courts, a restaurant, snack huts, and is a lovely place to linger.

What captured my attention the most in the garden were the numerous statues of famous French women. The collection is called Serie des Reines et Femmes Illustres, the 20 Queens of the Garden du Luxembourg, and includes statues of celebrities, queens and saints that were influential in French history. A few of these are Maguerite d’Anjou, wife of Henry VI, and queen of France and England between 1445 – 1453. She ruled the countries while her husband was dealing with severe mental illness.

Clemence Isaure is believed to have created the Académie des Jeux Floraux or Academy of Floral Games created in the 1300s to encourage the poetry of troubadours. Recipients of the awards, which consisted of flowers made of silver or gold, received their awards in Toulouse. It is uncertain if she is real or fictional, but legend has it that she was a wealthy muse who used her fortune to fund the arts.

Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre from 1555 – 1572, was involved in the French Huguenot movement and became a spiritual leader of the sect. She was known for leading the Huguenots in the French Wars of Religion. She, along with Catherine de Medici, negotiated a treaty at the end of the war, and also a marriage contract for Jeanne’s son and Catherine’s daughter. It is rumored that shortly after the marriage, Catherine sent her a pair of poisoned gloves that lead to her death.

All of these famous women were said to be strong-willed and ambitious, confirming the quote by Lauren Thatcher Ulrich – well behaved women seldom make history!

The beautiful, Romanesque Église Saint Germain des Prés, is thought to be the oldest church in Paris, dating to the 11th century. It was the final resting place for French kings until the 7th century. Sadly, much of the church was destroyed during the French Revolution, but restored over the centuries.

The famous restaurant Les Deux Magots is also located in the 6th. Opened in 1812, the owners moved to the current, larger location in 1873. It attracted many intellectuals, artists and writers in its heyday including Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and Simone de Beauvoir.

Although the 6th isn’t as quaint as some of the other arrondissements, it is still a lovely place to explore and take photos.

Comme d’habitude (as usual), we found some delicious meals.

Black and white collection.

When we were in the area in January, 2023, we observed a large manifestation (demonstration) of health care workers. Garbage workers were also on strike then.

This sums up the 6th, next week I’ll cover the 7th and 8th. As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a message if you’re so inclined.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia