The Blancs-Manteaux Market

My latest post was about the “Blancs Manteaux” (the White Coats) and the remaining church. The name is also used for a close-by covered market, “Le Marché des Blancs-Manteaux”. The building has stood here since 1819.

It occupies an area which used to be a private mansion for a noble family, with the extremely short name O, built during the 16^th century for François d’O, a rather scandalous personality, one of King Henry III’s “mignons” (darlings).  During the 17^th century it became a religious hospice, until disappearing with the Revolution. Below we can compare a plan from the 18^th century with what the area looks like today, close to Rue des Rosiers (see previous post) and the Jewish quarters.

We can also compare the looks of the covered market as it appeared when it was only one year old, in 1820, and today. Crossing the street, Rue des Hospitaliers Saint Gervais (referring to the previous hospice), a separate butchery covered market was later built (pictured in 1852), now transformed to a school building, originally for the Jewish community. There are still some traces to be found, including two bull heads by a sculptor named Edme Gaulle (1762-1841), who among other things also made the funerary monument for Louis XVI and, with a colleague, of Marie Antoinette, at the Saint Denis Basilica (see previous post) and was involved in the decoration of the Arch of Triumph (see previous posts), the Pantheon (see previous post)…

The remaining covered market building is since 1992 a city governed space for sports and other social activities (“espace d’animation”), also temporarily used for exhibitions. I went there for an art exhibition by some Swedish artists (now finished).

   

Blancs Manteaux - White Coats

In the Marais area there is a church, Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux, from 1690. It replaced a previous one from 1285, which then was part of a monastery. The name “Blancs-Manteaux”, White Coats, refers to the monks of a mendicant order, who wore white coats. They were rather soon replaced by monks in black coats and later by other orders, but the name remained. As we can see from some old plans of Paris, there was here a large monastery, at the end occupied by the Benedictines (actually referred to as the Black Monks).

Comparing the plans below from respectively the 16^th, 17^th and 18th centuries, we can see how the convent was transformed. After the Revolution, all that was left and still is there is the present church building, which got a new facade, moved there from another (demolished) church as late as 1863.

Some photos from the interior.

The attention (at least mine) is more particularly drawn to the beautiful pulpit, placed here in 1864, obviously with some 1749 Franconian or Bavarian origin.