 Pedestrian Rue Saint Denis inLes Halles district | |
  Shown within Paris | |
| Length | 1,334 m (4,377 ft) |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,630 m (5,350 ft) |
| Arrondissement | 1st,2nd |
| Quarter | Quartier Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois,Halles, Quartier Bonne-Nouvelle |
| Coordinates | 48°51′51″N2°21′0″E / 48.86417°N 2.35000°E /48.86417; 2.35000 |
| From | Avenue Victoria |
| To | Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1st century |
TheRue Saint-Denis (French pronunciation:[ʁysɛ̃dəni]) is one of the oldest streets inParis. Its route was first laid out in the 1st century by theRomans, and then extended to the north in theMiddle Ages. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the street has been notorious as a place ofprostitution. Its name derives from it being the historic route toSaint-Denis.
The street extends as far as the1st arrondissement and theRue de Rivoli to the south and as far as the2nd arrondissement and the Boulevard Saint-Denis to the north. It runs parallel to theBoulevard de Sébastopol.
The ancient Roman route (Flanders road) leading toSaint-Denis,Pontoise andRouen competed with the Route de Senlis (Rue Saint-Martin) but gained an advantage over it with the demolition of the Grand Pont (seePont au Change) and the development of the royalAbbey of Saint-Denis, becoming thetriumphal way for royal entries into the capital.
Flanked by houses from 1134 onward, the street has borne the alternative names of Sellerie de Paris and Sellerie de la Grande Rue (13th century), Grand'rue de Paris, Grande rue, Rue desSaints Innocents, and Grande chaussée de Monsieur/Monseigneur Saint-Denis (14th century). During theFrench Revolution, it was known as the Rue deFranciade.
The street was one of the centres of theJune Rebellion of 1832, immortalised inVictor Hugo's novelLes Misérables, and which is referred to in the book as the "Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis".[1] The street contains clothes shops, bars and restaurants, the church ofSaint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, a bank, and the Chambre des notaires building.
For many decades, the Rue Saint-Denis and its surrounding neighborhood were famous for theprostitution trade that took place there.[2]Sex shops also were situated between theRue Réaumur and the Boulevard Saint-Denis.
