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L’île Saint Louis
Friday, September 23rd, 2011 | by Angélique | Paris monuments
Paris is full of charming corners, l’île Saint Louis is one of them!
In the center of Paris, in the 4th arrondissement, l’île Saint Louis is located upstream of l’île de la Cité. These islands of the Seine are both natural, only l’île Aux Cygnes is artificial.
L’île Saint Louis, with its parallelogram shape, is smaller than l’île de la Cité and has an 11ha surface. It is connected to the 2 banks of the Seine by 4 bridges and is connected to l’île de la Cité by the Saint Louis bridge.
The most beautiful buildings of the île Saint Louis was made by Louis Le Vau, a famous French Architect. He came to the island with his family at the end of 1630’s and managed the construction of private yards and in 1644 he built the church Saint-Louis-en-L’île which is the only one on the island. In 1664, the housing development was almost achieved. Two forms of population lived there: wealthy tradesmen and craftsmen who lived inside the island or people from a higher standing such as nobles and bourgeois who preferred to live on the banks of the island in town houses. Because of the number of these huge houses, the island was called “l’île des Palais”, “the Island of Palaces”. L’Hôtel Lambert, built by Louis Le Vau, is the biggest town house of the island and is situated quai d’Anjou.
Since 1725, the island has been called l’île Saint Louis because of Louis IX, called Saint Louis. According to legend, he used to pray on the island and took the cross with his knights in 1269 before the 8th crusade. This expedition was fatal because he died one year later in Tunis.
Today, many famous people live on the island, as the journalist and writer Claude Sarraute, the singer Brigitte Fontaine or the couple Jamel Debbouze and Mélissa Theuriau.
Finally, if you want to taste the best Sorbets and Ice Cream of Paris , go to Berthillon in the Saint Louis en L’île street !
Find an hotel in Paris:
Hotel Best Western Aurore***
Hotel Alexandrie***
Hotel Gare de Lyon***
Hotel Best Western Premier Louvre Saint Honoré****
Hotel Best Western Ducs de Bourgogne****
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