Island in the center of Paris. Paris. Ile de la Cité. Main attractions of Cite

In the very center of Paris, in the middle of the Seine River, there are two wonderful islands: Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis, the former of which is much larger in size and beauty.

Paris originates from the Ile de la Cité and is home to the most revered architectural monuments of antiquity, such as the Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral, the Concierges and the delightful chapel of Sainte-Chapelle.

Among this architectural splendor are wonderful green harbors. Saint Louis Island, connected to the Ile de la Cité by a pedestrian bridge, is much smaller in size, and there are not many attractions here.

Nevertheless, this island, with its luxurious 17th-century mansions, rural streets and green embankments, has a special charm. The Parisian Island of Cite (ILe de la Cite) is exactly where it originates Paris .

Around 300 BC. e. one of the Celtic tribes, the Parisians, founded the settlement of Lutetia here. In 52 BC. e. Lutetia was captured by the troops of Julius Caesar. A well-fortified point on the trade river route leading from east to west, it was extremely convenient for the Roman soldiers, who established it as a typical military city.

The Romans did not attach great political importance to the city, but made it an administrative center and built a palace-fortress. In 508, the palace became the official residence of the kings of the Merovingian dynasty, at that time holding the title of Count of Paris; subsequently, in 987, this title was replaced by the title of King of France.

The kings of the Frankish state turned the old Gallo-Roman fortress into a magnificent palace, of which only chapel Sainte Chapelle And Conciergerie prison. At the other end of the Parisian island of Cite (ILe de la Cite) they erected their most famous structure - a grandiose Notre Dame Cathedral .

At the beginning of the 13th century small island The city was full of active life; there were twelve parishes here, not counting the numerous churches and monasteries. Their activity was so great that the monks of one of the local monasteries, Saint-Magloire, considered living on the island too vain for themselves and in 1138 moved to a quieter area on the right bank of the Seine.

Arrangement of the capital by Baron Osman

Now it’s hard to imagine exactly what this one looked like. medieval city, since in XIX century most of it was wiped off the face of the earth through the efforts of Baron Haussmann, whom Napoleon III appointed prefect of the capital of France.

At that time, 90 old streets were destroyed, and 25 thousand people were forced to move to other areas. On the vacant site, an ensemble of huge pompous bureaucratic buildings was built, which now houses mainly French justice.

Baron Osman also came up with the idea of creating a spacious, windswept square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. Nowadays this square allows you to see the façade of the cathedral in all its glory.

The few corners of the island not affected by the urban planning activities of Baron Osman include Ver-Galan square and Place Dauphine are delightful oases of silence.

It makes sense to start from its very heart, which is the Isle of Cité, because there are good reasons for this. This island in the middle of the Seine is the oldest part city, where about two thousand years ago the Parisian tribes lived, from whose name the name of the French capital came.

In the first century BC, this island stood small town Lutetia, belonging to the Gauls, and subsequently captured by the Romans. However, this Roman garrison was unable to acquire much importance there.

In the fifth century AD, Clovis I, a representative of the Merovingian dynasty, conquered the settlement. So Paris became the capital of the Frankish state. Traces of people who lived in those ancient times have been preserved, and today they can be seen in the dungeons of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral.

This huge and unusual catholic church, towering over the Ile de la Cité, is the main pearl and pride of French medieval architecture. The history of the cathedral dates back to 1163 - the time when Pope Alexander III gave his blessing for its construction. Notre Dame Cathedral was obliged to outshine everything with its splendor architectural structures Europe at that time. Since the opening of the temple in 1330 to this day, this masterpiece of Gothic architecture has been a source of love. local residents and attention from tourists.

Unlike Notre Dame Cathedral, which is always surrounded by crowds of inquisitive spectators, there is another attraction on the Cite, located in the western part of the island, which preserves peace and quiet, so unusual for the center of the French capital. This is the incomparable Place Dauphine, which was the center of aristocratic Paris throughout the 18th century. Art exhibitions were held here annually, thanks to which unknown debutants subsequently became recognized geniuses.

On the opposite side of the island stands the Sainte-Chapelle chapel, called by pilgrims the “Holy Chapel” or the “Gate of Heaven” because of its dazzling and mesmerizing beauty. The famous building was built by order of King Louis IX in the 13th century. He wanted to find a worthy frame for the holy relics brought from Byzantium. Wherein known fact It is believed that the king initially thought to place the Crown of Thorns of Christ in the Holy Chapel, but in the end the crown was left in Notre Dame Cathedral.

Not far from Notre Dame is the complex of the Palace of Justice, which is represented by elements from different eras, from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Within this impressive complex, the prosecutor's office, court and various municipal services are currently located. The Conciergerie Castle is also part of the Palais de Justice and at the same time the oldest prison in Paris.

It is safe to say that the Ile de la Cité, surrounded on all sides by nine bridges, is most interesting center historical Paris thanks to such a high concentration of great works of architecture on its surface. It’s worth starting your acquaintance with one of the most amazing capitals of Europe with a visit to this wonderful island.

The Ile de la Cité is considered the spiritual and historical center of the oldest part of Paris. You can get here by going to the stop of the same name - Cité. Hotels in the heart of historic Paris can be found at this link.

Sights of the Ile de la Cité

The first kings of France did much to make the Cité the center of royal, legal and ecclesiastical power. There are three main architectural monument Middle Ages: Conciergerie castle, Gothic chapel of Saint-Chapelle and.

The iconic landmark of the Cité is, of course, the most famous cathedral in the world, made famous by Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. Distinctive features of Notre Dame are its unique buttresses and statues of chimeras and gargoyles. Entrance to the cathedral is free, and those wishing to learn more about its history can use the audio guides offered at the entrance. You can avoid the queue to climb Notre Dame by

Ile de la Cité (France) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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The Cité is one of two islands of the Seine that have survived to this day. historical heart Paris. The island is connected to the city by nine bridges, making it easy to get to it from any part of Paris. In the old days, there was a royal residence on the island, but now almost no one lives here. There are no more than thirty residential buildings left on the Site.

In order to get acquainted with all the sights of the island, you can safely set aside a whole day. In addition to the majestic Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, the Cite is home to the famous Paris prison The Conciergerie (now a museum), the Palace of Justice, Dauphine Square, the oldest flower market and many other equally interesting objects.

You can get to Ile de la Cité by taking the M4 metro line, getting off at Cité station. You can visit the island around the clock. But in order to better see the sights of Cité, it is recommended to visit during the day.

Flower market

On Place Louis Lepine, in a glass pavilion, every day from 8.00 to 19.30, flower sellers display their fragrant goods. And every Sunday bird catchers come to them with turtle doves, Japanese sparrows, buntings and nightingales. The chatter and hubbub is still there.

The history of Paris began on the Ile de la Cité. In the first millennium BC. The territory of modern France was inhabited by Celtic tribes. This warlike and mysterious people played a huge role in the history of France. In the 3rd century BC, the Celtic tribe of the Parisians lived on the Île de la Cité, one of the two surviving islands of the Seine in the center of Paris. The modern name of the city comes from the name of this tribe. The Romans called the Celts Gauls.

Around 52 BC, the Roman conquerors who came to Gaul settled on the Isle of Cité

Giving it the name "Lutetia". The first written mention of Lutetia is found in the 6th book of Julius Caesar about the war with Gaul in 53 BC. e. Under the Romans, the island of Cite found itself at the crossroads of two ancient routes: the river route along the Seine and the land route - the ancient Roman one. military road from south to north. This road, passing through Cité, crossed the Seine. The entire road stretched from Rome to Calais, where the Romans crossed to Britain.

In 55 BC. Julius Caesar located his main headquarters on the island of Cité.

The Roman city of Lutetia consisted of a fortified camp on an island and buildings that gradually arose both around its fortifications and on the high left bank of the Seine. At that time, approximately 7 thousand people lived in Lutetia.

The invasion of the barbarians in 267 forced the inhabitants from the left bank to move to the island, where the branches of the Seine served them as reliable protection from enemies. Around 360 Lutetia was renamed Paris.

After Gaul was conquered by the Franks, King Clovis declared Paris the capital of the Frankish kingdom (the modern name of the country, France, comes from the name of the Frankish tribe).

In 540-550, under Childebert I of the Merovingian dynasty, the first Christian church Paris - St. Stephen's Basilica. Several centuries later, Notre Dame Cathedral was built on this site.

By the beginning of the 11th century, a royal palace was built on the Ile de la Cité, which remained the residence of French kings until the 14th century. Louis VI the Fat, Louis VII the Young, Philip Augustus, his grandson Saint Louis (aka Louis IX) and Louis the Ninth's grandson Philip IV the Fair lived here. Under these kings, the island remained the center of an already large city, spread out along both banks of the Seine. In 1244-1248 the chapel of Sainte-Chapelle was erected.

At the beginning of the 14th century in the western part of the island of Cité, on the site the current Palace Justice, surrounded by fruit trees stood the royal palace. Cathedral and other religious buildings were located in the eastern part of the island. The rest of the Cite was occupied by the market, the Hotel Dieu hospital, and three- and four-story residential buildings. At that time, about forty streets were laid on the island.

In the 14th century, Charles V (Valois dynasty) moved into the Louvre, transforming it from a small fortress into a royal residence.

The Ile de la Cité remained this way until the end of the Second Empire, when Prefect Haussmann, whom Napoleon III instructed to “remodel and improve the capital,” ordered the demolition of all buildings between the former royal palace and the cathedral, and in their place he built the heavy buildings of a hospital, a police prefecture and a commercial tribunal. Only Place Dauphine escaped this fate. Three ancient streets have been preserved in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral. Then 25 thousand people were resettled from Cite.

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