Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre & the Oldest Tree in Paris
Why is it significant?
Step into the little garden and find the tree that looks as if it is about to fall over. Its trunk leans hard toward the river, its bark is deeply furrowed, and it is propped up by grey supports like an old man on crutches.
Key Facts
| Place | Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre & the Oldest Tree in Paris |
|---|---|
| Address | Square René-Viviani, 2 Rue du Fouarre, 75005 Paris, France |
| Geo Coordinates | 48.85210, 2.34740 |
| Part of Walk | Students, Saints and Gladiators: Paris's Latin Quarter from the Sorbonne to the Panthéon |
| Generated | Generated |
Step into the little garden and find the tree that looks as if it is about to fall over. Its trunk leans hard toward the river, its bark is deeply furrowed, and it is propped up by grey supports like an old man on crutches. This robinia, a false acacia, is generally held to be the oldest tree in Paris. It was planted around 1601.
The man who planted it was Jean Robin, gardener and botanist to King Henri the Fourth. Seeds of this American tree had reached him from across the Atlantic, and the whole species was later named Robinia in his honour. So every acacia-like robinia you see in parks across Europe owes its name to this neighbourhood. The old tree has survived wars and storms, and it still puts out leaves every spring.
Now turn around. The squat little church behind you is Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, begun around 1165, so it is almost exactly as old as Notre-Dame, whose towers rise just across the river. For centuries the University of Paris held its assemblies here and elected its rector inside. In 1524 the students rioted during an election and smashed up the church so thoroughly that the university was banned from meeting here ever again.
Go inside if the door is open, and you will be surprised. Instead of a Gothic altar you will find a wooden screen of golden icons, an iconostasis. Since 1889 this has been the church of the Melkite Greek Catholics, Arabic-speaking Christians from the Middle East who follow the Byzantine rite while in communion with Rome. Some evenings it fills with chamber music.
One more ghost lives in the next street, Rue du Fouarre, the street of straw. Medieval students sat on bundles of straw on the floor to hear their masters, and Dante named this very street in his Paradise. Whether he ever studied here is a legend nobody can prove. Look across the water at Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024 after the fire, then head up Rue Galande and across the Rue Saint-Jacques toward a palace built on Roman ruins.