The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, and certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissem ...

s on the Rive Droite, or Right Bank, of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It lost its status as a fashionable district in the late 18th century, with only minor nobles calling the area home. After the French Revolution, the district fell into disrepair and was abandoned by nobility. After a long period of decay, the district has undergone transformation in recent years and is now once again amongst the more fashionable areas of Paris, known for its art galleries, upscale restaurants and museums.

History

Paris aristocratic district

In 1240, the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

built a fortified church just outside the walls of Paris, in the northern part of the Marais. Later on, The

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

(also known as the Temple Quarter) had many religious institutions built nearby. These include: the

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s des Blancs-Manteaux, de Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie and des Carmes-Billettes, as well as the church of . During the mid-13th century,

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

, King of Naples and Sicily, and brother of King

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

built his residence near the current n°7 rue de Sévigné. In 1361, King

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

built a mansion known as the Hôtel Saint-Pol, in which the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

settled during his reign (as well as his son's). From that time to the 17th century and especially after the Royal Square (''Place Royale'', current '' place des Vosges'') was designed under King Henri IV of France in 1605, the Marais was the favoured place of residence of the French nobility. Among the many urban mansions— hôtels particuliers, in French—they built there were the

Hôtel de Sens The Hôtel de Sens () or Hôtel des archevêques de Sens is a 16th-century ''hôtel particulier'', or private mansion, in the Marais, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It nowadays houses the Bibliothèque Forney, Forney art library. His ...

, the

Hôtel de Sully The Hôtel de Sully () is a Louis XIII style ''hôtel particulier'', or private mansion, located at 62 rue Saint-Antoine in the Marais, IV arrondissement, Paris, France. Built at the beginning of the 17th century, it is nowadays the seat of the ...

, the

Hôtel de Beauvais The Hôtel de Beauvais () is a hôtel particulier, a kind of large townhouse of France, at 68 rue Francois-Miron, 4th arrondissement, Paris. Until 1865 rue Francois-Miron formed part of the historic rue Saint Antoine and as such was part of the c ...

, the Hôtel Carnavalet, the Hôtel de Guénégaud and the

Hôtel de Soubise The Hôtel de Soubise () is a city mansion '' entre cour et jardin''. It is located at 60 Rue des Francs-Bourgeois in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, France. History The Hôtel de Soubise was built as an ''hôtel particulier'' for the Prin ...

. During the late 18th century, the district was no longer considered the most fashionable district by the nobility, yet it still kept its reputation of being an aristocratic area. By that time, only minor nobles and a few higher ranking nobles, such as the Prince de Soubise, lived there. The Place des Vosges remained a place for nobles to meet. The district fell into disrepair after the French Revolution and was then abandoned by the nobility completely. It was to remain unfashionable until the late 20th century.

Jewish community

After the French Revolution, the district was no longer the aristocratic district it had been during the 17th and 18th centuries. Because of this, the district became a popular and active commercial area, hosting one of Paris' main Jewish communities. At the end of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th, the district around the rue des Rosiers, referred to as the " Pletzl", welcomed many Eastern European Jews (

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

) who reinforced the district's clothing specialization. During World War II the Jewish community was targeted by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

who were occupying France. As of today, the rue des Rosiers remains a major center of the Paris Jewish community, which has made a comeback since the 1990s. Public notices announce Jewish events, bookshops specialize in Jewish books, and numerous restaurants and other outlets sell

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...

food. The

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

on 10 rue Pavée is adjacent to the rue des Rosiers. It was designed in 1913 by Art Nouveau architect

Hector Guimard Hector Guimard (, 10 March 1867 – 20 May 1942) was a French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style. He achieved early fame with his design for the Castel Beranger, the first Art Nouveau apartment building i ...

, who designed many Paris Metro stations. The Marais houses the Museum of Jewish Art and History, the largest French museum of Jewish art and history. The museum conveys the extensive history and culture of Jews in Europe and North Africa from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Cnaan Lipshiz of ''

Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist Dav ...

'' wrote that in previous eras the district was "the beating heart of French Jewry". In 1982, Palestinian extremists murdered six people and injured 22 at a Jewish restaurant in the Marais, Chez Jo Goldenberg, an attack which evidenced ties to the Abu Nidal Organization. By 2019 much Jewish business activity left The Marais, and it had fewer Jewish residents.

Post-war rehabilitation

By the 1950s, the district had become a working-class area and most of its architectural masterpieces were in a state of neglect. In 1964, General de Gaulle's Culture Minister, Andre Malraux, made the Marais the first ''secteur sauvegardé'' (literally translated as ''safeguarded sector''). That was meant to protect and conserve places deemed to be of special cultural significance. In the following decades, the government and the city led an active restoration and Rehabilitation Policy. The main hôtels particuliers have since been restored and turned into museums: the Hôtel Salé hosts the Picasso Museum, the Hôtel Carnavalet the Paris Historical Museum, the Hôtel Donon the Cognacq-Jay Museum, and the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan hosts the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme. The site of Beaubourg, the western part of Marais, was chosen for the

Centre Georges Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...

, France's national Museum of Modern Art, which is widely considered one of the world's most important cultural institutions. The building was completed in 1977 with advanced modern architectural features by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers.

Present day

The Marais is now one of Paris' most frequented localities for art galleries. Following its restoration, the Marais has now become a popular and culture-defining district, home to many upscale restaurants, museums, fashion houses, and galleries. The Marais is also known for its Chinese community, which first formed during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At that time, France needed workers on the home front to perform the duties previously filled by men who were now soldiers on the front lines. China sent a few thousand of its citizens, on the condition that they would not actually take part in the war. Following the 1918 Allied victory, some of them stayed in Paris, living around the current rue au Maire. Today, most work in jewellery and leather-related products. The Marais' Chinese community has mainly settled in the north of the district, particularly in the vicinity of

Place de la République The Place de la République (; English: Republic Square; known until 1879 as the Place du Château d'Eau, ) is a square in Paris, located on the border between the 3rd, 10th and 11th arrondissements. The square has an area of .Warner, p. 250 ...

. Next to it, on the Rue du Temple, is the Chinese Church of Paris. Other features of the neighborhood include the Musée Picasso, the house of Nicolas Flamel, the Musée Cognacq-Jay, and the

Musée Carnavalet The Musée Carnavalet () in Paris is dedicated to the History of Paris, history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, ...

LGBT culture

The Marais became a center of

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

culture, beginning in the 1980s. Florence Tamagne, author of "Paris: 'Resting on its Laurels'?", wrote that the Marais "is less a 'village' where one lives and works than an entrance to a pleasure area" and that this differentiates it from Anglo-American gay villages.Tamagne, Florence (2014). "Paris: 'Resting on Its Laurels'?" (Chapter 12). In: Evans, Jennifer V. and Matt Cook. ''Queer Cities, Queer Cultures: Europe Since 1945'', pp. 240, 250, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, , 9781441148407, see pp
240
an
250
accessed 15 November 2015. Tamagne added that like US gay villages, the Marais has "an emphasis on 'commercialism, gay pride and coming-out of the closet. ''Le Dépôt'', one of the largest cruising bars in Europe as of 2014 (per Tamagne), is in the Marais area. File:Le Marais 01.JPG, Gay village in the Marais, 2013 File:Le Marais 02.JPG, Gay village in the Marais, 2013

Notable residents

* Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully^† * Urbain de Maillé-Brézé^† * Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné^† * Armand de Vignerot du Plessis^† *

Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet ({{IPA, fr, katʁin də vivɔn maʁkiz də ʁɑ̃bujɛ; 1588 – 2 December 1665), known as Madame de Rambouillet ({{IPA, fr, madam də ʁɑ̃bujɛ), was a society hostess and a major figure in the lite ...

^† * Jacques Frémontier^† *

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

^† * Jack Lang *

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. With a career spanning over five decades, she is known for her roles Jessica Lange on screen and stage, on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominati ...

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

^† *

Maximilien Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre ferv ...

^† * Princes of Rohan Soubise * Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair

Places and monuments of note

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

, including the

and Hôtel de Rohan * Carnavalet Museum * Church Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux * Church of St-Gervais-et-St-Protais * Church Saint-Merri * Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs * Church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis * Hôtel d'Angoulême Lamoignon (housing the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris and the Hôtel-Lamoignon - Mark Ashton Garden. * Hôtel d'Aumont *

* Place des Vosges, including the home of

and Café Ma Bourgogne * Maison européenne de la photographie in the Hôtel de Camtobre (1706) * Mémorial de la Shoah, including the Memorial of the Unknown Jewish Martyr and the

CDJC The Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation was an independent French organization founded by Isaac Schneersohn in 1943 in the town of Grenoble, France during World War II, France during the Second World War to preserve the evidence of Nazi ...

* Musée Cognacq-Jay * Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme (housed in the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan) *

Musée des Arts et Métiers The Musée des Arts et Métiers (; English: Museum of Arts and Crafts) is an industrial design museum in Paris that houses the collection of the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, which was founded in 1794 as a repository for the preser ...

* Musée Picasso * Place des Émeutes-de-Stonewall (Stonewall riots square) * Place Harvey Milk * Pletzl, the historic Jewish quarter * Rosiers – Joseph Migneret Garden * Temple du Marais

Gallery

File:Jo Goldenberg restaurant, Paris 12 June 2005.jpg, Jo Goldenberg's Jewish delicatessen (now defunct) on the rue des Rosiers; site of the Goldenberg restaurant attack File:Chez Marianne (Le Marais Paris) 01.jpg, Chez Marianne, a Jewish restaurant in Le Marais File:Pletzl rue Caron Restaurant Yiddish Pitchi poi.jpg, Restaurant Pitchi Poï in the predominantly Jewish Pletzl quarter File:Pletzl rue des Rosiers Boulangerie Juive.jpg, Murciano Jewish bakery in the rue des Rosiers File:Hotel-de-Sens-DSC 8075.jpg, Hôtel de Sens File:Hotel-Soubise-rue-des-Franc.jpg, Hôtel Soubise File:Maison-de-Jean-Herouet-54-r.jpg, Maison de Jean Herouet File:Hotel-d'Almeras-30-rue-des-.jpg, Entrance of l'Hôtel d'Almeras File:P1000705 Paris IV Eglise Saint-Gervais nef centrale reductwk.JPG, Interior of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais Church File:Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, façade; et voiture Velib'.JPG, Saint-Paul Saint-Louis Church File:Musée Picasso Paris coté cour.jpg, Hôtel Salé (Picasso Museum) File:Paris-place-des-vosges.jpg, Place des Vosges File:Hôtel de Beauvais salle voûtée au sous-sol.jpg, Medieval cellar of the Hôtel de Beauvais File:Demeures médiévales - Paris (France).JPG, Medieval houses in rue Miron File:Salle de lecture vue d'ensemble.jpg, Reading room in the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris (City of Paris History Library) File:Paris rue aubriot.jpg, View of rue Aubriot File:Temple Sainte-Marie rue Saint-Antoine 4.jpg, Temple du Marais, a Protestant church File:P1020669 Paris III Hôtel de Saint-Aignan Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaisme rwk.JPG, Courtyard of the Hotel de Saint-Aignan, which houses the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme

References

External links

Le Marais

() Article about the Marais as the gay neighbourhood of Paris

ParisMarais.com: the official guide, partner of the Paris Tourist Office

Le Marais photos

Photographs
My Gay Paris
��The latest news on Paris and the Marais with a gay perspective {{Coord, 48, 51, 36, N, 02, 21, 39, E, type:city_region:FR-75C, display=title 3rd arrondissement of Paris 4th arrondissement of Paris Marais, le Marais, le Entertainment districts in France Gay villages in France Marais, le Marais, le LGBTQ culture in Paris Tourist attractions in Paris