The Galerie Vivienne is one of the

covered passages of Paris The covered passages of Paris (french: Passages couverts de Paris) are an early form of shopping arcade built in Paris, France primarily during the first half of the 19th century. By the 1867 there were approximately 183 covered passages in Paris bu ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, located in the 2nd arrondissement. It is long and wide. The gallery has been registered as a historical monument since 7 July 1974.

History

The gallery was built in 1823 by Marchoux, President of the Chamber of Notaries, at the location of the ''Vanel de Serrant'' hotel and the ''Petits Peres'' passage. It was based on plans drawn up by the architect . Inaugurated in 1826 under the name Marchoux, but soon renamed Vivienne, the gallery took advantage of its unique location. It attracted many visitors with its tailor shops, cobblers, wine shop, restaurant, Jousseaume bookstore, draper, confectioner, print-seller and so on. Located between the

Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal ...

, the

Paris Bourse Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV. As of 2022, the 795 companies listed had a combined market ...

(stock exchange) and the

Grands Boulevards The Boulevards of Paris are boulevards which form an important part of the urban landscape of Paris. The boulevards were constructed in several phases by central government initiative as infrastructure improvements, but are very much associated w ...

, the passage enjoyed considerable success until the end of the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

. But the gallery lost some of its appeal with the move of the prestigious shops to the Madeleine and the

Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is lo ...

, and particularly because of the Restauration Haussmann of Paris by

Georges-Eugène Haussmann Georges-Eugène Haussmann, commonly known as Baron Haussmann (; 27 March 180911 January 1891), was a French official who served as Prefect (France), prefect of Seine (department), Seine (1853–1870), chosen by Emperor Napoleon III to carry out ...

. The gallery has been the scene of interesting events. The monumental staircase of No. 13 led to the former home of

Eugène François Vidocq Eugène-François Vidocq (; 24 July 1775 – 11 May 1857) was a French criminal turned criminalist, whose life story inspired several writers, including Victor Hugo, Edgar Allan Poe and Honoré de Balzac. The former criminal became the founder a ...

after his disgrace. The convict had become chief of a police squad made up of former criminals. There has historically been competition with the newer, nearby '. Since 1960 the gallery has once again become very active. It features fashion and home furnishings, and haute couture shows held there. The installation of

Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corsets, ...

and shops in 1986 helped with the resurrection of the gallery. It now houses many shops selling ready-to-wear and decorative items. Galerie Colbert and Galerie Vivienne, were acquired by the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

. Galerie Colbert houses the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art.

Description

François-Jacques Delannoy conceived the decor in neo-classical Pompeian style covered with an elegant canopy, with mosaics, paintings and sculptures exalting trade. The restoration work rehabilitated the abundant ornaments around the half-moon windows, and the goddesses and nymphs that adorn the rotunda. The mosaic floors are signed

Giandomenico Facchina Biography Giandomenico Facchina was born in 1826 in Sequals, today in the province of Pordenone in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, at that time part of the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom. He was trained in Trieste and Venice. He first worked on the ...

and Mazzioli. Their sobriety emphasized by the repetition of simple geometric shapes is reminiscent of the style of the mosaics of the

Rue de Rivoli Rue de Rivoli (; English: "Rivoli Street") is a street in central Paris, France. It is a commercial street whose shops include leading fashionable brands. It bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the Battle of Ri ...

. The long gallery is sheltered by a glazed rotunda with a hemispherical glass dome that allows for air circulation.

Gallery

File:Galerie Vivienne 1820.jpg, Galerie Vivienne during the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

File:P1010886 Paris II Rue Vivienne Galerie Vivienne reductwk.JPG, Entrance on the rue Vivienne File:P1040479 Paris II galerie Vivienne entrée rwk.JPG, Entrance on the rue des Petits-Champs File:Galerie Vivienne stairway.jpg, Stairway File:Paris - galerie Vivienne - mosaïque au sol.jpg, Mosaic of the sun File:Paris Galerie Vivienne115.JPG, The signature in mosaic of

File:P1040477 Paris II galerie Vivienne coupole rwk.JPG, Rotunda and cupola File:P1040476 Paris II galerie Vivienne détail rwk.JPG, Architectural details File:Galerie Vivienne decors 2183.jpg, Decor details

Location

The gallery has entrances from the rue des Petits-Champs, rue de la Banque and rue Vivienne.

References

External links