Beyond the northern apse, an old tree held up by two concrete supports stands near
the north side of the church in a little island of green grass surrounded by
a curb. This false acacia (robinia pseudoacacia,
a form of locust tree) is quite possibly the oldest tree in Paris. It is thought
to have been planted here in the 17th century by the botanist Jean Robin (1550-1620)
or his son Vespasian (1570-1662). Jean Robin discovered this species in Guyana
and was the first to cultivate it in France. The genus robinia, which consists of about 10 different species of locust trees,
is named for him. No one knows the exact date this particular tree
was planted--some sources give the date as 1601, others as late as the 1660's or
1680, and the plaque next to the tree itself says it was planted in 1602.The thick dark-green leaves that cover the trunk and the concrete supports are actually the leaves of some kind of climbing vine, but if you look up at the old branches, you can see what the tree's own leaves look like--small, oval and yellow-green. The ancient tree was decapitated by a shell during World War I, but it still blooms every year, and it managed to survive the terrible windstorm that struck France in January 2000. You can actually walk underneath the tree and stand in the cave-like space created by the trunk and its two supports. 
Walk out past the tree into the Square René Viviani. Named for
France's first Minister of Labor, the Square was opened to the public in 1928.
Prior to 1909, this space was occupied by one of the Left Bank annexes of the
Hôtel-Dieu, the old Paris hospital on the Île de la Cité. Before that,
old houses and monastic buildings belonging to the Clunesian Priory of St. Julien filled
this area. Earlier still, an ancient cemetery existed here, next to a 6th-century basilica,
the original Church of St. Julien. A large number of Merovingian tombs from this
cemetery were dug up around the walls of the church during 19th century renovations.
Some of them are now in the collections of the Museé Carnavalet.The Square Viviani offers one of the best views of Notre Dame in all of Paris. The cathedral appears to be just on the other side of the street, but it is actually across the river. St. Julien and the cathedral are nearly contemporaries, and based on certain similarities in their designs, it is believed that the architecture of St. Julien was influenced by that of Notre Dame. The Cathedral was begun in 1163, seven years before the monks of Longpont started to rebuild St. Julien, but St. Julien was finished in 1240, 90 years before Notre Dame. Some argue that St. Julien is the oldest surviving church in Paris, because even though parts of Notre Dame are older, St. Julien was finished first. St. Pierre de Montmartre and parts of St. Germain des Prés are older also, but these churches were located outside the City of Paris proper at the time they were built, and thus are not counted by purists. 
In the middle of the Square Viviani there is a sunken area with an unusual fountain
in the center. Dedicated in October 1995, the fountain is the work of the late
French sculptor Georges Jeanclos, and it tells the story of St. Julien the
Hospitaller, one of three saints named Julien who are the patrons of
the church. According to legend, this St. Julien unwittingly killed
his own parents, and to atone for his sin he built a hospice near a
river where he and his faithful wife provided lodging for poor travelers, cared
for the sick, and ferried pilgrims across the dangerous waters. Julien finally earned
God's forgiveness by aiding one such pilgrim, a leper who turned out to be Christ
in disguise. The legend was very popular during the Middle Ages, and hospitals,
hospices, and churches all over Europe were named for the Hospitaller. He was a
patron saint of innkeepers, ferrymen, and travelers, and medieval travelers often
prayed for his help in finding good lodgings for the night.
The cast bronze fountain is roughly triangular in cross-section, and the surfaces
of its three panels are covered with shapes resembling stylized droplets of water,
which perhap refer to the location of the hospice on the
banks of a river and Julien's service as a ferryman. In the center of each panel,
a small bronze stag's head pours out a narrow stream
of water from its mouth. A talking stag plays an important role in the legend
of St. Julien the Hospitaller, and is one of his emblems.On edges of the panels, many small figures can be seen. Rather than illustrating specific scenes from the legend as other artists have done in the past, the sculptor chose instead to focus on Julien's selfless compassion, depicting him supporting and comforting others. (For more information about Saint Julien the Hospitaller and the sculptor Georges Jeanclos, go to the Links page). 
Walk around the fountain and look back towards the church. To the right and left
you see two avenues of closely planted trees which have been trimmed to form shady
canopies where people can sit on park benches and relax, read, or have lunch.
Notice the odd bits of carved stone placed throughout the square. These are thought
to be discarded carvings from the Cathedral of Notre Dame. During the 19th century,
the cathedral was restored by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, and many
of its time-worn carvings were replaced by newly carved reproductions. Some of
the old stones were later brought here. Not far away from the St. Julien fountain
stands a little drinking fountain which has
been made from what looks to be a small column. The top was once a carved capital,
and the shaft has been fitted with a push-button mechanism like the Wallace fountain
behind the apse of St. Julien.
More stone carvings flank these steps leading up to the walkway under the
eastern canopy of trees. The walkway is raised up on stone walls, and there
is a popular notion that this structure used to be part of the medieval
wall of Paris, built by King Philippe Auguste between 1190 and 1220. In truth,
Philippe's wall never passed through this spot. (To see precisely where the wall once stood,
check out the plan
on this French website
about Paris under Philippe Auguste). It seems more likely that the walkway
was constructed on the remains of one of the old buildings that used to stand in
the Square. At the far end stands a kiosk designed
to look like one of the old Morris columns of Paris.
A recycled section of stone tracery closes the end of the western canopy, and a
small flower bed is planted on the lawn in front of it.
More groups of old carved stones can be seen
standing next to the shrubbery as you walk back towards the north side of the church.
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St. Julien le Pauvre url: http://www.people.ku.edu/~asnow/ Webmaster: A. Snow This site last updated 03/21/2006. |
