The Latin Quarter (Part I) - Lutetia Ruins Underneath

Those that know me know I'm a huge history buff, especially when it comes to ancient history. A part of my love for the Latin quarter isn't just because it still looks like a medieval city, but that there are still legit ancient remnants of the past lurking just beneath (and recently uncovered!) for tourists to view and interact with. The winding cobblestone streets, maze-like neighborhoods, and old buildings are just the appetizer to this delectable full course meal (albeit, a big appetizer), but the meat and potatoes comes from the past, the ancient past! The question that gets me going: What was Paris before it was actually 'Paris'?

Well for starters, I learned although it is called the 5th arrondissement it is actually the oldest arrondissement in Paris (I don't know how they decided to number the neighborhoods). Secondly, before it was called "Paris" the Romans called it Lutetia (or Lutece). Lastly, there is Neolithic evidence dating back to 4500BC, but the area was taken over the Romans in the first century thus making it a Gallo-Roman town. And what did settled Romans do best? They built cities! So there you have it, the sowing of Paris. Of course, what's a Roman city without a few ruins? Now this was something I did NOT know you could still find within the modern-day city Paris, three ruins to be precise!

Paths leading up to the Arena 'stadium' seats. There's plenty to sit and get comfy on... or have a picnic!

Arenas of Lutetia- The arenas are among the most important Roman ruins in the city of Paris, it was shaped like an ellipse, measured 130 by 100 meters, and could once hold up to 17,000 people (which was more than the population at the time, indicating that it attracted spectators from nearby towns and villages). The entertainment of the time? Amphitheater and gladiatorial fights, especially against wild animals. Rooms were found beneath the stands, suggesting these were animal cages that opened directly to the arena!

Eventually, however, Lutetia was attacked [and sacked!] in the 3rd and 4th centuries by "barbarian raiders". With time, much of stone work from the arena was used to build other structures in the city, including the city's defenses and Roman bathhouses near the Notre Dame. Years later (around 1190 AD) it was filled in and completely forgotten for centuries, that is until the 1860s when they were found and excavations began.

Baby G sitting in what was considered a "box seat". These private viewing areas were found with names inscribed on them, indicating the seats were permanently reserved for high status attendees

Fun fact? At first people didn't know what to do with these ancient findings, it was the writer Victor Hugo (among other intellectuals) that urged for the arenas to be rescued. He was a huge believer in the importance history has on our identity as a people, and therefore the identity the arenas had for Paris. He even wrote to the prime minister at the time, imploring him to save the arenas "at all costs". In part, it's thanks to his efforts that the arenas (along other historical sites) were saved and are still used to this day. That's right, the arenas have been completely unearthed (at least the parts that weren't demolished and reconstructed into houses), cleaned up, and now serve as a public square.

It's also adjacent to a park dedicated and named after the archeologist who continued to excavate the arenas, Louis Capitan, completing restoration around 1918. This park was beautiful and Baby G absolutely loved it! There were so many kids around her age, and the park itself offered park equipment for toddlers of that age group to play on. Lastly, it had a very scenic flower garden (inaccessible, only for looking), and lovely stairways leading to the arenas and other parts of this big park.

The day I visited with Baby G we enjoyed a lunch while seated on the stands of the arena, watching the school kids play soccer on the theater floor below. She loved climbing up and down the stairs and seats, the arena is quite large so there was a lot to explore too. It has many paths that twist and turn, going up, down and all around the arena and park. There were plenty of benches and arena stone booths to sit on, making it the perfect spot to sit and relax in this marvelous 'blast from the past' ruin.

Today's lunch? Peanut butter and jelly, and a plum for a snack!

I was surprised to find that it wasn't super busy, the area was treated as another quaint park. I was even more surprised when I found out some Parisians don't even know about the arena's existence, or at least never visited them. So in that regard, it felt like a hidden gem to us.

Notre Dame's Archeological Crypt Site- OK OK, so this is actually in the 4th arrondissement, but it's close enough; just right across the Seine! The first thing people probably think about when they hear "Notre Dame" is the famous cathedral in the middle of Paris, or Victor Hugo's famous novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", but not many tourists know about the archeological site just below the Cathedral. Now at the moment, the church is still under construction and probably will continue to be until summer 2024 at the earliest.

Notre Dame still under construction, completion is calculated to be summer 2024

However, the crypt (although I'd prefer to call it an ongoing archeological site) is still open and can be accessed by a stairway literally right in front of the Cathedral. I was shocked to see SO MANY people hanging out above ground, taking pictures and walking around a structure they couldn't access, yet this museum wasn't busy at all (see slideshow)!

Admittingly, I was not able to enjoy this museum as much as I would have liked. Baby G was NOT having it that afternoon and was incredibly ornery. Frankly, it was a little embarrassing trying to read in a semi-quiet museum, then having to chase after your crazy toddler who wants to touch and climb on everything. But c'est la vie, right?

From what I gathered, we were standing in what used to be a harbor and adjoining Roman bathhouse, the last Lutetian bathhouse which was used up until the 5th century. Some may not know, but the Notre Dame Cathedral is actually on an island that the Romans largely inhabited (as Romans tended to like living amongst themselves and away from 'outsiders', the islands were the best place I guess). This was an incredible find because the bathhouses was two of several that were on the island, but the only ones that survived the times (as far as I know). In the later part of the 4th and 5th century, only members of the affluent class or those from specific groups had access to the bathhouse. It's not known if they were open to the public or not, or strictly reserved for the residents of the nearby complexes. The need for space and cutback on water usage further downscaled the baths; the area of the baths were 175m², compared with the larger Cluny baths built earlier.

In other parts of the museum we were standing the ancient banks of the Seine river. Apparently before the Romans came, the Seine was a calm river but would frequently flood, forming many little islands and shallow marshlands. Sounds incredibly different from today's Paris, non? The Romans needed to navigate the river and marshes to transport goods (of course); And thusViola! They chose a spot in a small inlet of the Seine for their harbor and fisheries.

Last but not least, a large part of the museum gave credit to Victor Hugo who was (again) a huge proponent in saving Notre Dame and the ruins beneath it. As with many old buildings in Paris, many of them being huge tourist attractions today, there was much controversy about the Notre Dame Cathedral and even debate to tear it down (because gothic is SO old-fashion, who needs another big church?). There were times in the not to distant past where it was grossly undermantained, and people living around it didn't give it much thought, thus it fell into disrepair.

Here steps in Mr. Victor Hugo who single handedly saved the church by writing the novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", the main character [spoiler: the one-eyed grotesque hunchback] symbolizing the status of the ill-kept church. It needed love and support [Esmeralda?], and after the novel was released, that's exactly what happened.

The Cluny Museum - The Musee du Cluny is a museum of medieval art in Paris. It is located in the 5th arrondissement and is home to 2nd-3rd century Roman baths; initially built for Roman public as well as to "romanize" the Gauls (Celtic peoples of mainland Europe) .

This big building is one major identity crisis rolled into one, being a bath house and frigidarium, an abbey, a religious college, a medieval hotel, a mansion, and [currently] a museum. The museum was built in the 15th century, on top of another earlier structure. The architecture is interesting as it is a combination of gothic and Renaissance elements (perhaps in part to acquiring surrounding buildings, and renovations taking place throughout the years).

The museum was named after the Roman ruins it was built upon, a bathhouse measuring ~6000m² and that was open to the public. Like the arenas, however, they weren't well protected and fell prey to invading barbarian groups around the 3rd century. Whereas the caldarian (hot water, one of the largest hot heated swimming pools in thr Roman world) and tempidarium (warm water) bathhouses are outside the building in the main courtyard (fenced in and not accessible to the public), the frigidarium (cold water room) is fully incorporated into the museum building and hosts ongoing exhibits. It is the best preserved Gallo-Roman monument in Paris

This was one thing the entire family got to see. Although Baby G didn't care much for the museum part, she did enjoy playing in the hotel public space with her dad.

All in all, this museum was quite fascinating. The history within and surrounding the complex is any history-fanatic's "must-see", and the art work inside (including the infamous 'Lady and the Unicorn tapestries) was amazing. It included, but not limited to, stain-glass, statues, crystal ornaments, toys, and probably the coolest chessboard ever created!

The courtyard to the Medieval hotel is accessible to the public, you can order a coffee or cake and enjoy sitting in an area where only noblemen and ladies were allowed during the hotel days. What's more, the cafe you order your food from was actually the Medieval kitchen, so the room is still used as intended.

A bientot!