Today, a
little walk through the western parts of the 17th arrondissement,
more or less around Avenue des Ternes and west of Place des Ternes, on which I
already posted (see here).
The word
Ternes seems to have its origin in the name of a farm, outside the city limits,
a “ferme externe”. “Externa” (in latin) became “estern” and “ternes”. The farm
became a little castle of which we today can see some modest remains. A street
through the castle was opened during the 18th century… and the
surrounding area got more and more inhabited. More streets were created and on
the trace of the major road from Paris (Porte Maillot) to the Saint Denis
Basilica (see post here) a railway was built, part of the “Petite Ceinture” (see previous post
here - and some others here). The whole area became part of Paris in 1860. Here is a comparison between 1800 and today.
Avenue des Ternes is today a very busy street with a number of shops.
The first
little chapel in the area was obviously built in what now is referred to as “Villa
des Ternes”, a private enclosed area with tree-lined little streets and some
remarkable buildings. One of the little streets is even named “Avenue de la
Chapelle”.
The first
real church was built in the middle of the 19th century and is now
replaced by an imposing building which was built between 1937 and 1957 (WWII
interrupted the construction), “Saint Ferdinand des Ternes”. It’s in a neo-byzantine style
with three cupolas.
What may be
particularly attractive here are the open market streets.
One bakery
is particularly appreciated by the Swedish Paris population – they offer the so called "prinsesstårta" (princess cake).
Posts
6 comments:
A favorite Parisian neighborhood of mine. I have always enjoyed my visits to la Fnac des Ternes, a little shopping in the boutiques along avenue des Ternes, and of course, some browsing at the market stalls in la rue Poncelet. I had never heard of la Villa des Ternes and would not mind strolling along some of the small streets you feature here -- a privilege reserved for some "happy few," no doubt -- and Peter Olson, who counts a few friends among them ;-) -- Véronique
Princess Cake is my favorite! I'm glad to know where I can find it in Paris.
thanks, Peter. A new neighborhood for me -- thank you so much for sharing it!
There is an excerpt in a famous book by Émile Zola about the market stalls of Paris. It's called The Cheese Symphony by the literati. Here just a fragment of it:
"As they were all rather short of breath by this time, it was the camembert they could smell. This cheese, with its gamy odour, had overpowered the milder smells of the marolles and the limbourg; its power was remarkable. Every now and then, however, a slight whiff, a flute-like note, came from the parmesan, while the bries came into play with their soft, musty smell, the gentle sound, so to speak, of a damp tambourine. The livarot launched into an overwhelming reprise, and the géromé kept up the symphony with a sustained note..."
Reading things like this sets me dreaming about Paris: that I came back, that its magic is enveloping me once more.
Thank you so much for your no less dreamy post.
Maria
Et comme tu es très gourmand, tu vas te ravitailler souvent là-bas?
Bises petel et bon mercredi
Intéressante publication ! J'aime beaucoup tes photos du marché.
J'ai rattrapé mon retard sur tes publications : le Harry'sbar n'a pas tout à fait la même décoration mais il me rappelle le "No Name Saloon" de Park City dans l'Utah.
Bises
Post a Comment