Thursday throng

 

 

Like an eternal rockstar whose beauty never fades the crowds can't get enough.

 

Notre-Dame Cathedral

 

Thursday threesome

 

A beautiful Romanian Orthodox Church of the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel, constructed between 1374 and 1379, in the Latin Quarter

 

Tunnel Tuesday

 

 

One of Paris' oldest passages where the French Revolution was plotted and today headless ghosts roam on dark and stormy nights.

Mirror Monday

 

 

A mirror in a café near the Louvre reflects its royal roots, an ancient palace turned into a museum.

 

***

 

This mirror is a tribute to Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, a.k.a. Molière, the 17th-century French funnyman who had King Louis XIV in stitches at the Palais du Louvre, just a short strut from his troupe’s base at the Comédie-Française. With his razor-sharp wit, Molière’s plays like Tartuffe and The Misanthrope skewered the pompous hypocrites and fawning courtiers buzzing around the Sun King’s court, leaving audiences roaring and, legend has it, the king himself slapping his royal knee. It seems Molière was a master at poking fun without ever turning his quill on Louis. The Comédie-Française was the perfect stage for Molière’s troupe to dazzle audiences, cementing his reputation as the king’s go-to entertainer, a comedic genius who could roast the elite while staying in royal favor.

The theater’s proximity to the Louvre made it easy for Molière to stage private shows at the palace when summoned. Historical records, like those of the court’s Menus Plaisirs (royal entertainment accounts), confirm Molière’s frequent performances at the Louvre’s grand halls or Versailles’ gardens, tailored to Louis’ tastes, while public shows stayed at the Comédie-Française for the broader audience.

Molière’s favor with Louis is well-documented: he was granted a royal pension and protection from critics, suggesting the king relished the playwright’s knack for exposing sycophants without crossing the line. The proximity of the Comédie-Française to the Louvre (still true today) made it a breeze for Molière to pop over and keep the Sun King chuckling, ensuring his troupe thrived under royal patronage. - BPJ

 

 

Abbey road

 A former medieval abbey once home to the powerful bishops of Cluny, now a museum, is accessible from a small street in the heart of the Latin Quarter.

 

 National Museum of the Middle Ages

 28 rue du Sommerard 75005 

A thousand oaks

  

One thousand hundred-year-old oaks will be felled by the end of this month to rebuild the spire of Notre-Dame de Paris.

Above: the spire through trees before the fire
 

A palace in winter

 

(click to enlarge)  

 

The Palace of Versailles, Grand and Petit Trianon will remain closed but the park of Versailles, the lake of the Swiss Guard and the Estate of Marly are open to walking from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

 

- Check website regularly for updates -

Farewell to Joséphine

While Napoléon might have been crazy about his impératrice Joséphine de Beauharnais (a.k.a. "Yeyette"), descendants of French colonialism are not. On Sunday her already beheaded statue, a reminder of that era, was toppled in Martinique, her birthplace.

Above: close-up from "The Empress Joséphine" by Pierre-Paul Prud'Hon

Musée du Louvre

Due to Covid-19 all visitors are now required to book a time slot and wear a mask

Corona nation

"Here, the young Louis XIII was coronated, one hour after the death of his father Henry IV."

***

In today's Les Echos: "18 million people 'at risk' will remain confined after May 11th"

[To be cont'd....]

 

Feet first

King François I and Queen Claude de France repose side by side within the Basilica of Saint Denis.

Cartesian

The tomb of revered French philosopher, scientist and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650) in l'Église Saint Germain des Prés, once part of an abbey and Paris' oldest church.

Tea at the château

More Vaux-Le-Vicomte: a private informal tea

Below: our small press group is joined by one of the castle's gracious owners, Count Alexandre de Vogüé

 

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

 ***

Merci à Alexandre de Vogüé, et toute l'équipe

Henri on horseback

Statue of Henri IV on the Pont Neuf as seen from the Square du Vert-Galant.

***

In this month's newsletter
Nouveautés

King of the Franks

Bare branches seem to be fanning out behind a statue of Charlemagne.

Table for two

 

Table in passageway behind Le Procope restaurant.