Look ahead to your left and find the towering baroque facade crafted from pale blonde and soft pink stone, featuring a central round window framed by intricately carved columns and tall statues standing in arched niches.
This is the Chapelle des Carmélites. Or, more accurately, the face of it. Built between sixteen oh eight and sixteen forty-two, this was actually the third Carmelite convent established in all of France. But today, only this magnificently sculpted front wall remains.
If you check your phone, you can see a closer view of the Prophet Elijah, just one of the finely detailed figures still standing guard here. The original architect is a bit of a mystery, possibly Nicolas Tassin or Guillaume Tabourot, but whoever designed it clearly wanted to make an impression with those sweeping Corinthian and Ionic columns.
So, what happened to the rest of the building? Well, the French Revolution came knocking. The monastic orders were dissolved, the nuns were expelled in seventeen ninety-two, and the soaring bell tower was completely destroyed. The peaceful convent was then handed over to the city and eventually transformed into a military barracks. Going from silent, praying nuns to a rowdy garrison of soldiers is certainly a dramatic shift in neighborhood noise levels.
Despite losing the rest of the structure, this surviving facade has been protected as a historical monument since nineteen ten. Feel free to pull up the before and after image on your app to see how this ornate wall has stood the test of time since nineteen nineteen.
It is a beautiful architectural survivor, hiding a turbulent past behind a perfectly poised exterior. Enjoy the quiet resilience of this old convent wall, and when you are ready, we can head to the next stop.
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