Notes on Ile de le Cite, Latin Quarter, Notre Dame

The first settlement of the Parisii, Celtic hunters and fishermen, started at this island around the 3th century BC. It was called Lutetia. It was here that the Parisii tribe lived; the Romans, led by Caesar's lieutenant Labenius, conquered the Parisii in 52 AD and set up camp. The city was given the name Lutecia, from the Latin lutum meaning "mud". During the barbarian invasion, Lutecia's inhabitants, galvanized by the young Sainte Geneviève, took refuge on the easily defended Ile de la Cité. Clovis, king of the Francs and defeater of the Romans, made the island his capital. It stayed the area's center of activity throughout the Middle ages. In the 9th century, the Norman invasions subjected Paris to repeated Viking attacks. One such attack in 885 met with the resistance led by Count Eudes, later king; once again, the defeat was organized on the island. The island kept its role as a religious and judicial center throughout the Middle Ages.

The initial name Lutetia, taken around 200BC when it was discovered, was changed in 506 when Cite became Clovis's capital.

The Ile de la Cite is linked with both banks by the oldest bridge of Paris, the Pont Neuf.

The most important work took place under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III when the Law Courts were doubled, Place du Parvis in front of Notre-Dame was quadrupled and Boulevard du Palais became 10 times wider than before.

The Île de la Cité contains Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, the Conciergerie and the Palais De Justice. The Île de la Cité is one of the oldest inhabited parts of Paris, dating from the 3rd century BC. Notre-Dame (begun in 1163 under the guidance of Bishop Maurice de Sully on a spot sacred since Roman times), Sainte-Chapelle (built in 1245 under the reign of St-Louis to house the crown of thorns), and the Conciergerie (known as "the antechamber to the guillotine" during the Reign of Terror where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette awaited execution in 1793) are the last three Middle-Aged buildings left on the island.

The Memorial de la Deportation, tells a story just as dark as that of the Reign of Terror - how 200,000 French men, women and children were sent to death camps by the Vichy government during WWII.

Pont Neuf (neuf as in new and not nine) is one crossing point onto the Ile.

At the opposite end of the Ile is the Palais de Justice, seat of government since Roman days. On site is also the Conciergerie, the palace that became a prison with many of the victims carted off across Paris's cobbles to Place de la Concorde and the guillotine.

In the 12th century, the University of Paris took up residence in the old Notre-Dame cloister on the Left Bank; ever since, the whole neighborhood has been marked by its scholarly traditions. In 1253, Robert de Sorbon founded a school for the poor that over time gained international renown: The Sorbonne.

The Latin Quarter got its name because Latin was spoken here, and was in fact the official language until 1793.

Place St-Michel- Balzac used to draw water from the fountain (Davioud's 1860 sculpture of St-Michel slaying the dragon) when he was a youth.

Boulevard St-Michel-Also called by locals Boul' Mich, this is the main street of the Latin Quarter as it heads south.

"Each face, each stone of this venerable monument is not only a page of the history of the country, but also of the history of knowledge and art.... Time is the architect, the people are the builder." — Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris

The next time you're in the cavenous sanctuary of Notre Dame, look carefully at her side walls. If you're observant enough, you'll notice brown stains at about the knee level. Well, just in case you lick your fingers after touching those stains, I'll like to tell you a little story. Right at the end of the 18th century, during the Revolution, it was vogue to hate the cathedral. Many of the treasures of the grand dame were either destroyed or plundered and the church grounds were used for events other than worship. At first, it was given to a couple of Cults but eventually, it was used as a warehouse for livestock. Yes, the brown stains you're looking at are 18th century poo stains! The muck got so thick and plentiful at one point in time, it went up to the knee level. Fortunately, all the goo was cleaned up after a certain emperor wanted to crown himself there...

All road distances are calculated from the 'zero kilometer' point located on the square in front of Notre-Dame.

The Palais de Justice is located in the Île de la Cité in central Paris, France.

It is built on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis, of which the Sainte Chapelle remains.

It houses various courts:

• the Paris court of large claims;
• the Paris correctional court;
• the Paris Court of Appeal;
• the French Cour de cassation (highest jurisdiction in the French judicial order).

It also houses the Conciergerie, a former prison, now a museum, notable because Marie Antoinette was imprisoned there before being executed on the guillotine.

One thing you definitely won't want to miss in the Cluny is the exhibit containing the original heads of the kings of Judah from Notre Dame. During the French Revolution, many of France's cathedrals were vandalized because they were seen as representative of the hated monarchy. Notre Dame was no exception, and the statues of the kings of Judah were pulled down and beheaded. A wealthy aristocrat by the name of La Kanal was so sickened by this destruction that in the middle of the night he carried the 21 heads back to his home and secretly buried them in his courtyard. There they remained until April 1, 1977.