The St Paul metro emerges on an island at the junction of Rue St Antoine, Rue
Rivoli and rue Francois Miron . It is Parisienne Instant with all all the familiar icons- Morris Column,
Wallace Fountain, news kiosk, metro sign, pavement cafes and a small carousel
in summer. Along the rue St Antoine are many good food and wine shops, traditional corner cafes etc. On the south side near the metro entrance at no 101 Lycee
Charlemange is the site of the Port Saint Antoine in the wall of Phillipe Augustus. Parts
of the wall of Phillipe Augustus can be seen around the Marais.
Just by the metro entrance on the south side of rue St Antoine No 133 has a balcony supported by Rocaille chimeras Circa
1728 above the bar Chimera.
Heading down rue St Antoine east towards Bastille
and near the end of the island to the right is the large Jesuit church of St
Paul St Louis. The present building was constructed from 1627 to 1641
by the Jesuit architects Étienne Martellange and François Derand, on the orders
of Louis XIII of France.
Facing the chrch to your left you can see a small statue of St Catherine
above a bookshop on the corner of rue Saint Antoine and rue Sevigne.
Behind the buildings on the north side of the rue St Antoine is a small square named after a market installed in 1784 on the site of the former Convent of
Sainte-Catherine-du-Val ( xiii century ). Although a bit of a tourist trap in the high season this is well worth a brief detour. It is surrounded by tall buildings
built in the late eighteenth century and
is virtually closed to car traffic, paved, decorated with trees, benches and
has a number of terrace restaurants. At the top of the street is the
rue Jarente which also has a few bars and restaurants.
