22.9.10

Along Rue Saint-Denis and Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis...

I already mad a post about Rue Saint-Denis and some of the passages, galleries, alleys... that you may find around this street, including about Passage du Caire in my latest post. A few more, including along Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis.

Around 1840, along these streets, there were some 130 galleries, offering the possibility to do your shopping and find your restaurants and bars under more comfortable conditions than in the mud of the main street, sometimes even offering protection from the rain. Rue Saint-Denis was those days a rather prestigious street and with its Arch of Triumph, it was one of the main entries to Paris, if you arrived from the north. When Queen Victoria visited Paris in 1855, this was the street she used. During the 20th century, our habits changed and the street lost its standing, has become a centre for wholesale and manufacturing of clothing, later invaded by sex shops… Today, it seems to slowly be restored and it may finally again find a certain new respectability. In the meantime most of the galleries, but not all, have disappeared or entirely changed their aspect. If you take them for what they are, many of them offer however a certain charm even as they are.
Starting from the north there is the Passage du Désir, today partly closed to public.
I already made posts about Cour / Passage des Petites-Ecuries… as well as on Passage Reilhac...
… as well as on Passage Brady, often referred to as “Little India”….
… as well as on Passage du Prado, also dominated by Indian and Pakistani restaurants, barber shops, Bollywood video sales…
The Passage Sainte-Foy is extremely modest. Today you will basically find some workshops.
At the end of Passage des Dames-de-Saint-Chamond you will find an elegant 17th century building which once was a hotel, but as most other buildings here now seems to be dedicated to clothing manufacturing or similar business.
Le Passage du Ponceau opened in 1826.
When you until a few centuries ago entered the Passage de la Trinité, you found a hospital, demolished during the 19th century. The narrow little alley seems to receive some not welcomed visitors; there are signs where one is asked not to urinate.
The quite elegant Passage du Grand-Cerf
… as well as Passage du Bourg-l’Abbé, both from 1835, have been described in previous posts.
Then, I have a number of photos from more anonymous alleys and galleries, more or less “charming”.


Many need to be restored … and some are.

28 comments:

krystyna said...

Nice to be in Paris,
thanks your posts, photos and video!

How is going your voluntary work?

Have a good time in Sweden!

Virginia said...

Bon voyage. I hope your mother is well . I'm sure she'll love having you there with her.
V

Mystica said...

As usual beautiful. Hope to see you after your break with some nice Swedish photographs. Have a safe journey.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

I continue to be awed at the level of detail you so remarkably present, and must urge you to write a book on Paris!

Olivier said...

bon voyage en suede, j'aime ce quartier, si vivant et en voyant tes photos,on voit qu'il n'a pas beaucoup change avec le temps

claude said...

Très beau post sur tous ces passages Peter. J'avais une amie qui habitait Cours des Petites Ecuries. Elle allait au lycée à Pigalle.

Anonymous said...

interesting.
Thank you.
I will take a look next month.

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Heello Peter .. Thank you for sharing more history with us :-) places we would never think to go.

I do hope all is well in Sweden, take care Anne

Cezar and Léia said...

Bom dia querido amigo!
Hello Peter!
Thanks a lot for taking us with you in this lovely walk!
Your pictures are wonderful, specially the first one, perfect!
Have a safe trip, we will miss you!
Léia

BLOGitse said...

Some of your pics coulb be from Casa! :)
I'm off to Finland next week. Take Viking Line and come to Helsinki!!!

Paris Paul said...

Wait, where are the "sex shops" and the "putes"? Or is this a different rue SAint-Denis? lol :-P

joanna said...

Peter

An interesting mixture of places, -- time will tell if they are restored or replaced as space is paramount in cities.

cheers,
Joanny

Gaëlle said...

Have a nice stay in Sweden!

Simony said...

I like the way some of them have the glass ceiling to protect against the elements.But some of them really need some attention, remodeling and cleaning! We can say those alleys are the predecessors of the modern mall (shopping centers).
Lots of walking you have done!
Have a safe trip Peter!

Catherine said...

beautiful pix of all those archways and alleyways - great post. Enjoy sweden

rauf said...

every nook and corner of Paris in your blog Peter. its good to know about them and i enjoy seeing the pictures but i sincerely feel that the tourists should be kept away from most of the city specially a city like Paris, the most expensive destination. It is the tourists who make the shops and restaurant owners greedy. Things become difficult and buying essentials goes out of reach for the locals. They can't spend money like the rich tourists. Tourists also keep looking for cheaper places to stay and eat. So the word gets around. More tourists appear in the nooks and corners hidden from other tourists, they try to outsmart each other. The shop keepers would rather cater to the needs of the tourists than to the locals. In a short period the whole city would be taken over by the tourists and the locals can no longer afford to stay there.

Nathalie H.D. said...

Congratulations on another remarkable post on out of the way corners of Paris. No doubt that Rauf has a point about the way some areas change because of tourism. It's a difficult question...

Ash said...

Beautiful post and photographs.
Have a safe trip, Peter

Trotter said...

Hope everything is ok!
You found some incredible places around St. Denis... Amazing!

每当遇见你 said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ANNA-LYS said...

Hej Peter,

Otroligt vackert collage av bilder.
Jag är ledsen att din resa till Sverige var av den natur den var. Att ta adjö av sin kära mor om än till åldern kommen och det är naturligt, likväl måste det göra hemskt ont i hjärtat och innebära mycket arbete inte minst med ens eget inre.

Tänker på Dig och de Dina,

Kramar

AnnA

krystyna said...

Hi Peter!
Please,
take my
condolence
because of the death of your mother.
My heart and thoughts are with you.

She reached the beautiful age.

Take care!

Parisbreakfasts said...

I'm very sorry Peter to hear of the loss of your mother.
Take care.
Kind regards,
Carolg

Kim said...

Peter, I so loved this post and all your photos from this area. I feel in love with St. Dennis area in 2004 and hope to wander every street in the area someday. Your photos make that dream a reality today. So, thank you for this. Very much!

I also wanted to express how sorry I am that you have recently lost your dear mother and wish you well at this very tender time. I enjoyed seeing the photos of her in young middle and old age, and am grateful you had her love in your life such a very long time. Blessings to you as you grieve her loss. I am wishing you many fond memories and the ability to let go the little things that may capture your thoughts in the negative so that you can continue to experience all the love she filled your life with. Many thoughts, and I look forward to your return after your break.
-Kim in Seattle

Rosaria Williams said...

Lovely, interesting and underappreciated by those of us who wouldn't know how to find these on our own. Thanks for the discoveries.

Owen said...

My thoughts are with you Peter... have been away in the US for past three weeks... Wishing you all strength in hard times. A bientôt...

Lima Hotels said...

Great pictures. Paris sure has plenty of passage ways you can discover.

Hotel Miraflores said...

7 passage you can choose from each with a distinctive alley you can visit.