Twisted Tour Guide: Paris : Shocking History, Discoveries, Scandals and Vice

By Marques Vickers

Evade the Tourist Herds and Enter Into An Insider’s Paris.

Known and unknown history, hidden delights and fascinating stories pervade the history of Paris. This kaleidoscope of discovery, personalities, egos, scandals, conflict framed by sheer beauty creates a vivid tapestry defining over two millenniums.

This guide transports you to the precise famous and infamous locations where history occurred. The scenes may sometimes appear ordinary, weird, but often illuminate the physical background and descriptions behind events. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true.

This Twisted Tour Guide is your alternative to conventional travel. It accommodates the restless visitor, tourist and resident seeking a unique and different perspective to traditional tourism. Paris remains one of the most beguiling, seductive and enchanting cities of the world.

Historical Events
Lady Di’s Fatal Car Wreck, Dreyfus Affair, Stock Market Crashes, Bastille Destruction, World War II Occupation, Deportations and Liberation, Panama Canal, Mississippi Bubble, Kim Kardashian Robbery, Knight Templar Grandmaster Scandals, Legion of Honor Scandal, Louis Vuitton Collaboration, May 1968 Protest, Ministry of War Bombing, Mona Lisa Theft, Burnings At The Stake, Paris Prostitution, Presidential Assassination Attempt, Sorbonne Riots, The Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre, St. Gervais Bombing, Louisiana Purchase and Witch Burnings.

Landmarks:
Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Palace, July Column, Caveau de la Huchette, Notre Dame Cathedral Fire, Rue du Chat Qui Peche, Musee de Cluny, Fountain Saint Michael, Comic Opera House, Arc de Triomphe de Carrousel, Conciergerie, Covered Shopping Arcades, Elysee Palace, Fountain du Palmier, Hotel de Ville, Les Invalides, La Victoire Synagogue, Le Centaure Sculpture, Les Halles, Louvre Colonnade and Pyramid, Maxim’s Restaurant, Moulin Rouge, Apollo on Pegasus Sculpture, St. Sulpice Church, Shakespeare and Company, Louis XVI Square, St. Elizabeth de Hongrie, St. Paul’s Church, Saint Germain L’Auxerrois Church, Knights Templar Fortress, Tower of Jean The Fearless, Saint Jacques Tower, Paris Sinkholes and Catacombs, Vendome Column and Canal Saint-Martin.

Political and Historical Figures
Napoleon Bonaparte, Jim Morrison, Joan of Arc, King Louis Phillipe, Benjamin Franklin, Otto von Bismarck, Cardinal Richelieu, Diane de Poitiers. Maurice Papon, Marquis de Sade, Alfred Dreyfus, Jean The Fearless, Duke of Wellington, King Edward VII, Abbe Pierre, Empress Josephine, Desiree Clary, Eugene Poubelle, Detective Eugene Vidocq, Francois Mitterrand, George Boulanger, Dr. Joseph Guillotin, Henry IV, Marquise de Montespan, Louis XIV, Madame de Maintenon, Jacques Necker, Louis XVI, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, General Lafayette, La Paiva, Louis Bonaparte, Louis Napoleon, Madame du Barry, Marshall August Marmont, Marthe Hanau, Pauline Bonaparte, Queen Margot of Navarre, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and Foreign Minister Talleyrand.

Revolutionaries
Maximilien Robespierre, Auguste Blanqui, Camille Desmoulins, Ho Chi Minh, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, Count Mirabeau, Georges Danton and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon,

Literary, Visual and Performance Artists and Venues
Moliere, Emile Zola, Sarah Bernhardt, Voltaire, Honore de Balzac, Victor Hugo, Centre Pompidou, Musee D’Orsay, Brigitte Bardot, Coco Channel, Colette, Andre Chenier, Edith Piaf, Jacques-Louis David, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Paul Sartre, Rene Descartes, Auguste Rodin, Simone de Beauvoir, Theatre de l’Athenee, Garnier Opera House, Theatre de l’Oeuvre, Theo van Gough, Thomas Paine, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Alain Delon

Murders and Massacres:
2015 Terrorist Rampage, Stevan Markovic, Saint Michel Bridge Massacre, Ben Barka Abduction, Brahim Bouarram, Carlos The Jackal, Charlie Hebdo Massacre, Duke of Berry Assassination, Duke of

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marques Vickers
• Release date: Mar 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215268384

Marques Vickers

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions. He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86. Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com. Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography. His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.

Book preview

TWISTED TOUR GUIDE:  Paris

SHOCKING HISTORY, DISCOVERIES, SCANDALS AND VICE

Published by Marques Vickers at Smashwords

Copyright 2023 Marques Vickers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

A Frozen Time Vault of Antiquity

Two Year Strike Paralyzes The Sorbonne

Underground Paris and Infamous Sinkholes

A Vanished Influential Monastic Order

A Storied Arched Cavern Featuring Political History and Jazz

The Execution of The Last Knights Templar Grandmaster

A Protective Castle and Later Cursed Prison

A Witch Burning in the Paris Swine Market

A Royal Remnant and Mad French King

The Contract Hit on the Duke of Orleans

A Medieval Tower Reminder of the Lost Kingdom of Burgundy

The Alchemist Legend and Contemporary Skepticism

A Peasant Girl That Inspired and Headed The French Army

A Fatal Alchemy Potion That Reputedly Prolonged Youth

The Persecution Site of Freedom of the Press and Expression

A Towering Memorial to Paris’ Butchers

The Narrowest Street in Paris

The Saint Bartholomew Day Massacre

A Willful Queen Margot’s Intrigues and Revenge

Good Fortune Deserts Good King Henry IV

France’s Influential Statesman, Politician and Clergyman

A Brilliant Philosophical Mind Felled By Barbaric Medical Practices

A City Hall Saturated in Blood and Tradition

Moliere Follows A Circuitous Exile To Sustain His Voice and Creative Expression

The Moneyman Behind The Throne of Louis XIV

A Tale of Two King’s Mistresses

The Homefield Advantage in Securing The Louvre Colonnade Design

The Mississippi Bubble and Resulting Financial Debacle

Mining Deeper Insight Through Recollection and Personal Examination

A Forerunner’s Writings Spurring the French Revolution

Commoner, Courtesan, King’s Mistress and Revolution Victim

Companion Architectural Mansions With Distinctive Histories

The First American Foreign Diplomat

A Parisian Ecclesiastical Icon Finally Finds Recognition Via Popular Cinema

An American Forefather Influenced Profoundly By Paris

A Genuine Hero On Two Continents

The Finance Minister Unable to Plug The Surging Waters of Discontent

A Repressive Prison Now A Towering Mausoleum

The Corruptible Legacy of the Notorious Marquis de Sade

The Posthumously Disgraced Leader of the French Revolution

The Cursed Namesake Of A Decapitating Machine

A Bloody Relic Replaced By A Guardian of Antiquity

The Embedded Outline of The Massive Knights Templar Fortress

The Original Mass Burial Site of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Genius Prized, Lost and Then Rediscovered

A Writer Whose Idealism Permitted No Peace

The Silenced Voice of the French Revolution

Drowning Out A Voice Urging Moderation

Poet Andre Chenier’s Dangerous Acquaintances and Ill Timing

The Bloodied Hands of A Pure Ideologue

The Formative Years of Napoleon Bonaparte

The Desiree in Napoleon Bonaparte’s Life

A Whiff of Grapeshot Definitively Concludes The French Revolution

The Woman Behind Napoleon Bonaparte’s Rise

The Undeclared War Between The United States and France

An Explosive Close Call Nearly Derails Napoleon Bonaparte’s Ambitions

The Diplomat Who Framed American Foreign Policy

A Loyal, Lovely and Promiscuous Bonaparte

A Fountain Glorifying Bonaparte’s Egyptian Military Campaign

A Strong-Willed Rebellious Bonaparte Brother

A Diminutive Arc de Triomphe Fronts the Ghost of the Tuileries Palace

The Doomed Battle and Surrender of Paris

A Popular Fortune Teller During the Revolution and Napoleonic Era

An Occupier As An Assassination Target

The Ill Fortune and Rebirth of A National Theatre

The Assassination of the Duke of Berry

The Timeless Covered Arcades of Paris

An Uncompromising Idealistic and Jailed Revolutionary

A Serene and Picturesque Water Passage Below Paris

The First Private Detective Emerging From A Shadowy Past

Genius Inundated By Adversity That Spurred Productivity

A Monument Honoring Conquest and An Eternal Flame of Remembrance

A Delayed Burial For A Nationalistic Deity

The Father Of A Movement Without A Patriarch

The Refinement of Communist Philosophy

A Vile Historical Murder and Subsequent Presidential Residence

King Louis Philippe and His Collapsing Reign

An Improbable Political Emergence From Exile

The Best Kept Courtesan in 19th Century Paris

The Orsini Bomb and Unsuccessful Plot To Kill Napoleon III

Saint Michel Wrestles With The Devil and Property Defacement

A German Unifier At The Expense of France

The Devine Goddess of International Theatre

Artistic Achievement and Political Ambition Failure

The Bloody Nineteenth Century Lobau Barracks

A Phantom and A Longshot Victorious Architect

The Prostitution Industry Within Paris

A Monument of Triumph is Toppled and Later Reconstructed

The Resiliency of France’s Largest Synagogue

The Failure To Initially Construct The Panama Canal

False Accusations of Life Casting And A Genius of Modern Sculpting

The Stock Market Crash of 1882

The Parisian Trash Dilemma and An Innovator’s Naming Rights

The Supporting Force Behind Starry Nights

Merchandising The Prestigious Legion of Honor Award

The Populist Crusader Who Might Have Become King

A Masterpiece Accumulates A Legion of Artistic Criticism

A Cabaret and Belle Époque Consumed By Flames

A Ridiculed Appearance Masks Empathetic Portrayals

An Avant-Garde Theatre Featuring Risqué Performances

Establishing The Standard For Elevated Cuisine

How An Accusatory Editorial Helped Spare An Innocent Military Officer

A Losing Entry That Ultimately Outlasted Its Victorious Competitor

Third Time Becomes A Charm For The Paris Comic Opera

The Fame and Crash of Irish Playwright Oscar Wilde

Paris Cafes: Daily Bread, Beverages and Passionate Exchanges

The Towering and Enduring Art Legacy of Pablo Picasso

When Wild Beasts Invaded the 1905 Annual Fall Art Salon

A Woman of the Future Articulating Her Present Tense

The Most Parisian of English Kings

The 1911 Theft Of The Mona Lisa From The Louvre Museum

A Final Minute Appeal To Avert World War I

A Renowned Exotic Dancer Executed For Wartime Espionage

The Scars of Warfare and Distant Bombardment

Terror From The Heavens And Sanctuary Ceiling

A Pioneer in Independent Bookselling and Publishing

A Female Con Artist Who Swindled The French Stock Exchange

A Fragile Singing Sparrow Navigating The Brutalities of Life

A Sanctuary For The Hunted Down Amidst Wartime Occupation

The Dark Days of the German Occupation of Paris During World War II

Ancient History And its Relevance Towards Present Commerce

A Deportation Center of Inhumanity

Coordinating The Liberation of Paris

Abbe Pierre’s Vision of Eradicating Poverty and Homelessness

The Second Sex and A Writer Who Transcended Labeling

A Historic Theatre Where The Show Continues Despite Death

High Couture and Questionable Wartime Affiliations

Beauty, Animal Rights and Controversial Public Statements

An Undisputed Crusader of French Cinema’s New Wave

An Algerian Protest Massacre Along Saint Michael Bridge

A Philosophical Contraction

The Abduction and Disappearance of Mehdi Ben Barka

May 1968 and Fears Of A Fresh Revolution

A Cinema Gangster and An Unsolved Contract Killing

The Decadent Decline of Doors’ Lead Singer Jim Morrison

An Irrelevant Revolutionary And His Tainted Vision

Novelty, Outrage and Worldwide Acclaim

From Paris’ Acknowledged Belly To Commercial Shopping Complex

A Political Attack On A Jewish Symbol

Repurposing A Forgotten Railway Station

A Controversial Pyramid Uniting The Louvre

Cesar’s Sculptural Tribute to Pablo Picasso

Saving His Biggest Secret For The End of His Presidency

A Racially Motivated Murder on a Paris Pedestrian Bridge

Lady Di And Her Fatal Pont Alma Tunnel Crash

The Bridge of Love Locks Unchained

The Mass Murder Storming of a Satirist Magazine

An Urban Massacre Detonated By An Inhumane Enemy

The Closure Of A Sex Museum

High Profile Theft Of An American Reality Television Celebrity

Fire and Reconstruction Of Notre Dame

Evading Destruction To Become A Valuable Alternative

Sources and Archive Material Sourced:

LeftInParis.org, Memorable Paris Houses by Wilmot Harrison (1893), CNN.com, Devastating Disasters.com, TruCrimeDetective.co.uk, Wikipedia.org, NYPost.com, Webdoc.france24.com, Journal de Paris, VisitingParisByYourself.com, UnJourDePlusParis.com, TheGuardian.com, RFI.fr, The AmericanScholar.com, History.state.gov, Sas.upenn.edu, Britannica.com, Alijazeera.com, Maggielove.github.io, ElephantineBakery.com, Lumenlearning.com, Independent.co.uk, USAToday.com, CaveaudelaHuchette.fr, Rosicrucian.org, Refinery29.com, ParisByFoot.com, Jstor.org, WorldInParis.com, En.Parisinfo.com, TravelFranceOnline.com, Le Figaro, L’Aurore Newspaper, OperaDeParis.fr, HistoryToday.com, Shannonselin.com, FrenchMoments.eu, LifeOfWellington.co.uk, Fr.USEmbassy.gov, New York Herald Tribune, L’Express, The Daily Telegraph, TourEiffel.Paris.com, Parisianfields.com, Emmasu.org.uk, MTSU.edu, Ncronline.org, ParisMuseeCollections.paris.fr, Elysee.fr, Bookshelf.mml.ox.ac.uk, Le Monde Illustre, Gazette des Beaux Arts, Broadway.com, ElFaroDelCanal.com, PRCNO.org, DailyTelegraph.com.au, History.com, CitySeeker.com, Memoirs by Prince Talleyrand, Temple Bar: Volume 37, Napoleon.org, DeGruyter.com, TheGreatThinkers.org, TheParisReview.org. The News International, Le Figaro, BonjourParis.com, VanityFair.com, The Catholic Encyclopedia.com, LaVictoire.org, Haaretz.com, EntreeToBlackParis.com, Visual-Arts-Cork.com, NewYorkTimes.com, TravelFranceOnline.com, Le Canard Enchaine, Google.com, Le Journal de Debates, Parisology.net, AqrtandPopularCulture.com, Supervert.com, Maxims-shop.com, SnippetOfHistory.wordpress.com, IndianExpress.com, NumberOneLondon.net, FrenchMoments.eu, The IrishBookshop.com, Esquire.com, ImpressionistArts.com, ParisPerfect.com, Messynessychic.com, Encyclopedie Larousse, Wikidata.org, SuchFriends.wprdpress.com,  AmericanGirlsArtClubInParis.com , France-Voyage.com, ShakespeareAndCompany.com, UnJourDePlusAParis.com, Monticello.org, MTSU.edu, TheNewYorker.com, MillerCenter.org, WhiteHouseHistory.org, BBC.co.uk, ParisInsiderGuide.com and ArtNews.com.

Photography shot during 2022. Some of the locations may have or will  alter with time and

ownership changes. Many of the locations are still privately inhabited. Please don’t disturb the

residents.

PREFACE:

Evade the Tourist Herds and Enter Into An Insider’s Paris.

Known and unknown history, hidden delights and fascinating stories pervade the history of Paris. This kaleidoscope of discovery, personalities, egos, scandals, conflict framed by sheer beauty creates a vivid tapestry defining over two millenniums. You may imagine that you already know Paris, but that view is solely a prism of the whole.

This guide transports you geographically and photographically to the precise famous and infamous locations where history occurred. The scenes may sometimes appear ordinary, weird, but often illuminate the physical background and descriptions behind events. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true.

This Twisted Tour Guide is your alternative to conventional travel. It accommodates the restless visitor, tourist and resident seeking a unique and different perspective to traditional tourism. Paris remains one of the most beguiling, seductive and enchanting cities of the world. Its grandiose monuments, innovation and architecture are legendary and the stories behind their creation equally.

Welcome to one on the most useful and enlightening introductions to the famed City of Light.

A Frozen Time Vault of Antiquity

Musee de Cluny:

28 rue du Sommerard, 75005 Paris

Parisians follow a hasty urban pace with minimal time spent reflecting upon the city’s history. The metropolis displays a living testament of its exploits as evidenced by monuments commemorating its past. One of the few reminders of ancient Paris is the Musee de Cluny. The structure is a curious hybrid of a Roman era thermal bath and the ruins from the 15th century religious Abbey of Cluny.

The former abbey is a rare example of medieval architecture that was formerly part of a larger complex that included the College de Cluny located on the present day Sorbonne. The remaining Cluny is an astounding time vault of Parisian antiquity containing approximately 23,000 artifacts and artworks dating from the Gallo-Roman period up until the 16th century.

Two Year Strike Paralyzes The Sorbonne

Sorbonne Universite:

21 rue de l'Ecole de Medecine, 75006 Paris

Student protests have become an accepted institution in Paris dating back to the infancy of higher education. The Sorbonne was established in the mid-12th century and received its church charter in 1200. The institution became one of the first European universities and most prestigious due to a curriculum focused on theology.

The Sorbonne was operated and protected by the Catholic Church. Students wore robes and shaved the tops of their heads to symbolize their protection by church authorities. They were not subject to the king’s laws or courts.

Many students were admitted young between the age of thirteen and fourteen and remained for six to twelve years. The majority came from aristocratic families who could afford the tuition.

Their independence from civic authority resulted in conflicts periodically. The most famous clash came during March 1229 during Shrove Tuesday, a carnival similar in nature to contemporary Mardi Gras. Revelers wore mask and drank profusely. A dispute over a bill in the Saint Marcel quarter resulted in a vicious physical confrontation with the owner injuring several students.

The next day, Ash Wednesday, a larger contingent of students arrived at the tavern armed with wooden clubs. They entered the closed property due to the holiday, beat up the proprietor and destroyed the inside and several adjacent shops.

Normally the students had clergical protection from arrest. Blanche of Castille, who was the regent of France during the infancy of King Louis IX, disregarded the exception and demanded retribution. The university allowed the city guards to punish the suspected student rioters. The guardsmen vented their revenge and violently killed several of the students, some who reportedly had no involvement with the prior riot.

Response by the faculty and students was united to mobilize an immediate strike. Classes ceased and many of the students transferred to universities in Reims, Toulouse and Oxford. The neighboring Left Bank suffered an immediate economic setback. The conflict dragged on necessitating drastic measures for resolution.

Following two years of negotiations, Pope Gregory IX, an alumnus of the University of Paris issued the Magna Carta for the University placing the institution under direct papal patronage. The move resulted in various reforms actually lessening the local church authority and modifying the relationship with secular institutions. Class would resume, but future events would ultimately modify the concessions and permit the emergence of secular studies.

Underground Paris and Infamous Sinkholes

1774 Sinkhole: Eastern Side, rue d’Enfer, 75014 Paris

1914 Sinkhole: rue de Boetie at Faubourg Saint Honore, 75008 Paris

Paris Catacombs: Place Denfert-Roichereau, 75014 Paris

Museum des Egouts (Sewers), 93 Quai d’Orsay, 75007 Paris

On the evening of June 15, 1914, a three-hour violent tempest struck Paris with an intensity that suggested the sky might be falling. Instead 500 square feet at the junction of the rue de Boetie and Faubourg Saint Honore abruptly heaved and collapsed without warning. Pedestrians who’d take refuge under the awning of a nearby6 café were swallowed into the depths to their death.

Compounding the misery citywide were a series of gas explosions detonated by the breaking of gas mainlines.

The damage and twenty fatalities exposed the vulnerability of a city constructed upon hollow ground. Paris is a honeycomb underground with enormous cavities composed of former limestone excavations, tunnels, catacombs, sewer lines and metro and railway routings unperceivable above ground. The 1914 collapse was attributed to the weakness of the underlying soil and rock compromised by severe flooding four years earlier. The structural integrity remains vulnerable to dangerous sinkholes even today.

The invisible city was initiated in the thirteenth century with subterranean stone quarrying. Lutetian limestone was used in iconic structures such as Notre Dame, the Louvre and Saint-Eustache Church. A network of quarry voids created extensive mazes often unreinforced when the miners departed.

The first major catastrophe was recorded in 1774 during the reign of Louis XVI. A sinkhole engulfed within seconds pavement, houses, horses, carts and people. The site of the sinkhole was appropriately named the rue d’Enfer (Street of Hell). The king responded to the ensuing panic by creating an inspection unit to map and regulate the existing quarries for the public safety.

Author Victor Hugo wrote in his classic Les Miserables about the Paris sewer system, which has its streets, its intersections, its dead ends, its arteries and its circulation. He summarized that Paris has another Paris under herself.

Over the past century, interest towards access to the Paris underground became a desired delicacy. In 1955, a law was passed prohibiting entrance. Barrier walls were constructed across primary subterranean routes and entrances were often welded and barred shut.

The prohibition merely heightened the desirability. Cataphiles (lovers of below) began to circulate clandestinely. Some were criminals, others used the space for concealment and the majority for adventurous pleasure.

In the mid 1780, a movement began to accommodate the need for storing Paris’ dead. The earliest burial grounds from the Roman era were located on the southern outskirts of the city. Over the centuries, millions of bodies would congest cemeteries within the city boundaries, predominately near the central marketplace of Les Halles.

The solution became to fill the quarry voids with the bones of the deceased. Many were arranged in patterns and rows by skulls and various skeletal bones. The creation of the Paris catacombs continued throughout the 19th century. The visiting public has access to their handiwork via organized tours.

A Vanished Influential Monastic Order

Former Grand Couvent des Jacobins Site (Currently Marche Saint-Honore):

Place du Marche Saint-Honore, 75001 Paris

The Grand Couvent des Jacobins was a Dominican monastery established originally in a Parisian house near Notre Dame Cathedral. From that humblest of beginnings, the house was consecrated into a chapel dedicated to Saint Jacques the Great. The chapel operated a pilgrims’ hospice for the impoverished. The order would later become known as the Jacobins after their primary monastery.

During King Louis IX’s reign, several financial benefactors emerged enabling the order to complete their church and construct a dormitory and school. In 1245, Jacobin scholars completed the Latin translation of the Talmud. By the 15th century, the denomination continued to expand their layout up to the wall of Philip II Augustus.

A donation by a wealthy merchant in 1556 enabled a major reconstruction of the cloister. The chapel continued services until the upheaval caused by the French Revolution.

The monastery would be suppressed by the ruling Directory. In 1800, the cloister buildings were systematically demolished. The process would require a half-century before the Jacobins presence completely disappeared. The monastery church and grounds formerly housed numerous notable royal tombs. The majority disappeared.

History and reconstruction can be cruel towards remembrance. The Couvent space was eventually transformed into the Marche Saint-Honore. Today the market is housed within a contemporary glass structure. Twice weekly, vendors sell fresh produce, prepared foods and clothing. No remnant of the former monastery is evident or acknowledged on the site.

A Storied Arched Cavern Featuring Political History and Jazz

Caveau de la Huchette

5 rue de la Huchette, 75005 Paris

The famous Caveau de la Huchette on the Left Bank was originally a secret meeting site for the Rosicrucians and Knights Templar orders during the Renaissance. The Rosicrucians are a community of philosophers who still today study and practice the natural laws governing the universe.

The lodge was accessible from three access streets and composed of two basement rooms atop each other. Subterranean passages branch out to the Chatelet and cloister of Saint-Severin.

During the French Revolution, the building became known as the Cave of Terror hosting the Club des Cordeliers and des Montagnards. The upper room was a public house where the organizers of the Revolutionary Council argued the fate of incarcerated prisoners. Many impromptu trials and sentences of execution would follow.

In 1949, the Caveau would establish a more upbeat reputation as a premium subterranean jazz venue. The premier greats of American jazz have performed or been associated with the club. It has been widely portrayed in films distinguished by its tunnels and thick brick arches. It ultimately served as the 1957 inspiration for the Cavern Club in Liverpool where the Beatles performed nearly 300 times early in their career.

The Execution of The Last Knights Templar Grandmaster

Former I’le aux Juifs (Below Pont Neuf Bridge):

I’le de la Cite, 75004 Paris

Jacques de Molay headed the Knights Templar movement towards the end of the 13th and early 14th century in France. He became the 23rd and final grand master of the order in April 1292. He was born in Burgundy and during his tenure sought to reform the organization.

Pope Clement V had requested the merger of the Templars with other fighting forces to launch a fresh Crusade to re-capture the Holy Lands for Christendom. The scheme never materialized due to the Pope’s series of illnesses from gastroenteritis. Molay perceived clearly the request was designed to weaken his forces by dispersing them into a larger fighting unit. Independence would be their sole key to survival intact.

The Crusades were in the final stages and European support had dwindled. The Templars were a wealthy organization and King Philip IV was deeply in debt to them. Rather than pay his financial obligation, Philip seized many of the leadership by arrest in 1307. He forced false confessions by torture. Amongst the heresy Molay reportedly admitted to was the denial of Jesus Christ and trampling on the Cross during their initiation ceremony.

The interrogations and trial of Molay extended over a span of two years. On March 22, 1312 at the Council of Vienne, a papal decree abolished the Order of the Knights Templar. Molay would remain incarcerated for an additional two years before his execution day was established. Many historians have concluded the charges and testimony against him were fictitious. The primary motivation shared by Philip IV and Clement V was to rid them of a viable adversary.

Jacques de Molay reportedly declined to retract his earlier testimony. Templar members who recanted their beliefs were spared. Molay, Geoffroi de Charney, Hugues de Peraud and Godefroi de Gonneville were transported from their jail to a small island on the Seine River called I’le aux Juifs (Island of the Jews) on March 11, 1314.

The diminutive parcel of land was located adjacent to the western extremity of the I’le de la Cite. The name was given based on the number of Jewish executions that took place there during the Middle Ages. Notre Dame Cathedral loomed in the distant background.

The four Templars were slowly burned to death accepting their fate and torment stoically. Their composure earned them the reputation as martyrs. Spectators collected their ashes as relics.

Today a bronze equestrian statue of King Henry IV hovers above the former island. The gap between the land portions has been filled in. The Pont Neuf Bridge crosses the island and the cursed land been converted into a park setting with trees.

The Knights Templar story has been resurrected in popular films and novels. The horror prompting their initial dissolution ultimately created fraternal orders of Freemasonry. These institutions have proliferated elaborate myths regarding their respective Orders and accompanying clandestine secret initiation ceremonies and rituals.

A Protective Castle and Later Cursed Prison

The Conciergerie:

2 boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris

The Conciergerie is a former courthouse and prison located on the western sector of the Ile de la Cite. Situated just north of the Palais de Justice, it was originally part of the former royal palace that included the Sainte-Chapelle. Two distinctive halls remain from the palace.

During the French Revolution, nearly 3,000 prisoners were interned including Queen Marie-Antoinette, the Marquis de Sade, poet Andre Chenier, Madame du Barry and King Louis XIV’s sister Madame Elizabeth. Adding to those numbers were many of the founding organizers of the French Revolution. The majority of prisoners were cursed by short-term residences. They were tried and sentenced to be executed by the guillotine.

During the 1st-3rd century AD, the Ile de la Cite became part of the Gallo-Roman community of Lutetia, on the opposite bank of the Seine River. A wall was constructed around the island and the Roman governor’s fortress was built on the west end. The capital protected monarchs including Clovis until the end of the 10th century when Paris became the designated capital for the Kingdom of the Franks.

During the 11th to the 14th century, the palace was enlarged and detailing embellished. The role of the building altered under Charles V in 1364-80 when he decided to move his residence to the nearby Louvre Palace and Hotel Saint-Pol.

The building became known as the Conciergerie with the gradual addition of prison cells inside the lower portion. Common criminals were housed with political prisoners. Their care was consummate based on their wealth, status and political associates. The poorer classes were frequently isolated in forgotten damp quarters. Many died from neglect or infectious diseases common with the unhygienic conditions.

During the Revolution and Reign of Terror, speedier trials were encouraged for the presumed condemned. Marie Antoinette was arrested on August 3, 1792 and charged with three crimes including collusion with her homeland of Austria, excessive expenditure and opposing the Revolution. To add insult, a charge of conducting an incestuous relationship with her son was added. Her trial last two days with no expectation of acquittal. Forty-one witnesses testified and she was condemned to death upon the conclusion on October 16, 1793. She was then unceremoniously carted off later that day to the guillotine located at the Place de la Revolution (present day Concorde). She was beheaded to the merriment