Guisarde

‘Grandeur, Violence, Murder and Religious Zeal… find affinity with the House of Guise’

Hiding behind massive wooden doors, ‘Les Tortues,’ (The Tortoises) our two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, tucked at the back of an inner courtyard of a 17th century residence on the Rue Guisarde takes refuge from the weight of the past.

Guisarde, Canettes, Princesse, Mabillon….

This micro-maze of narrow lanes hedged between l’Eglise de Saint Sulpice and the Boulevard Saint Germain were once the ‘terroir’ of the famous House of Guise.

A branch of the ducal family of Lorraine, whose duchy was established in the early 16th century, the House of Guise is synonymous in France with conflicting images of grandeur, violence, murder and religious zeal. A red-carpet of glittering personalities that include Mary of Guise, mother to Mary Queen of Scots, Francis of Guise who violently suppressed the Protestant Conspiracy of Amboise and Henri de Guise who oversaw the slaying of thousands of Hugenots by planning the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, this red-carpet bears the sticky stains of rival blood.

Looking down on a leafy courtyard from one of your four first floor windows however, the threat of dangerous dukes and dissenting duchesses is surprisingly low. Wooden beams and ancient walls are all that remain of times past as bustling restaurants and chic boutiques have ‘set up shop’ in the ground floor gate houses of most noble dwellings.

No more than 50 paces from your residence lies the Place de Saint Sulpice, a large open square surrounded by pink flowering chestnut trees and dominated on the East side by the church of the same name. A curious visit to see the ‘gnomon,’ the famous sundial installed by priest Languet de Gercy in the early 18th century to help him determine the fall of Easter, will have you encounter the beautiful murals by Delacroix on the side chapel walls. Another surprise might be the famous 15,836-pipe organ of Aristide Cavaille-Coll which was literally build to ‘Hark the Herald!’

With the proximity to the medieval church of St. Germain des Pres, the Pont Neuf, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Theatre National de l’Odeon, there is no denying the smell of history as it ‘tingles’ the nostrils. Couple this atmosphere with daily activities such as people-watching in quaint cafes, purchasing vegetables on the Buci market or visiting art galleries on the Rue de Seine and you cannot escape the magic in the air.

Pushing through those heavy wooden doors as you return home in the evenings, you feel a complicity with those who have gone this way before. Relaxing in the tranquility of ‘Les Tortues’, you contemplate your place in Rue Guisarde’s elaborate history.

The rattle of ducal carriage wheels on cobblestones exist now but in the imagination. The only sound that is left is the whisper of the past and perhaps the toll of the Saint Sulpice bell.

Guest Comments
Dear, Louise, Porter and Michel,
Our stay on Rue Guisarde was just lovely. A great new apartment! Conor loved being so close to Luxembourg and we loved the Marche for our picnic supplies. We look forward to next year already!
Best Matt, Lydia and Conor McMahon and Maura Donovan

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"... this time, I was going until 1 A.M., loading up my car with the following: 2 very large rectangular mirror frames, a lovely porcelain corner sink with its original faucet, an oak cabinet door, a small cheese cabinet door with its wooden grill, more carved marble mantle pieces, a large cast iron skillet, and bits and pieces of carved wood: from molding to cornices."

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