Scattered around the third and fourth arrondissements of Paris are sculpted angels on buildings. The buildings range in century ages from 1400s to 1600s to 1700s to 1800s to the early 1900s. After 1914, the angels become living relics of the past yet still enjoyable to admire.
To reach each of these sculptures, Rosemary Flannery took us on her Angels of Paris No. 2 guided walk, based on her book. Passing through passages to avoid street noise, through gardens, narrow medieval streets, we made a culinary stop at a modern chimney cake factory. On the tour, we heard architectural anecdotes about buildings with and without angels.
Doors opened and closed for us. We slipped through a locked door to view an historical courtyard when a resident held the door open for us. As we observed the false façade to protect the symmetry of the Jewish museum’s courtyard, the guard closed one of the doors for us to better hear Rosemary’s stories. She made the grey, chilly day quite warm and bright as she smiled and enjoyed telling the stories.
We began the visit at the Rambuteau metro entrance by the Centre Georges Pompidou and ended the visit at the northern Rambuteau entrance close to the angels of the Nicolas Flamel House. Rosemary gave us each a Marais map, courtesy of Parismarais.com to show our route. Later, she retraced our route on the map for whomever asked.
I recommend a walk through the Marais with Rosemary’s Angels of Paris No. 2 tour. Her book, Angels of Paris, provides all the details and more that Rosemary talks about on her tour. You can buy the book at English book stores in Paris, online and sometimes on her walks (let her know you want to buy one).
Enjoy the virtual photo tour below.
Other Views of Angels of Paris Architecture on the Tour
