A Long and Winding Road: Rue du Chevalier de la Barre

Rue du Chevalier de la Barre is a long road that starts off at Rue Ramey to the north-east of the Sacré Cœur and ends by the Place de Tertre. It only became Rue du Chevalier de la Barre in 1907. Prior to that it was simply Rue de la Barre and back in the mid 1800s it comprised two roads called Rue des Rosiers (at the Place de Tertre end) and Rue de Fontenelle (at the Rue Ramey end). It was called Rue du Chevalier de la Barre after a young man called Jean-François Lefèvre la Barre who was decapitated in 1766 for not taking off his hat when a religious procession passed by (!!!).

All this to say, that this road does feel like several different roads, winding up from quite a working class neighbourhood at the lower-eastern end, to the prohibitively expensive and crowded touristy area up by the Place de Tertre. At the lower end of the road you feel as though you are far away from Paris, in a small village. With restricted access to traffic it is quiet, with stairs and a narrow path way at the very bottom.

Looking up.

Looking down.

Some of the apartment buildings look neglected, probably lying empty while an inheritance dispute rumbles on.

The shutters show the passing of time.

Have a look at this delectable decay, a shaggy beast of peeling paint.

A little further up the hill you pass Le Carmel de Montmartre, a convent founded in 1928.

And finally you end up in the touristy zone, with small boutiques and galleries selling knick-knacks.

More delectable decay here.