The unusual Paris. In the footsteps of the 14th century alchemist Nicolas Flamel, in search of the Philosopher’s Stone

Do you remember the alchemist Nicolas Flamel, inventor of the Philosopher’s Stone? The question is put to Harry Potter fans. But contrary to what one might think, this character did not come out of the abundant imagination of the writer JK Rowling. This alchemist really existed and even owned several residences in Paris, one of which is still visible today. The French capital is full of alchemical references, especially in its architecture. We discover their three emblematic places: the Saint-Michel fountain, the house of Nicolas Flamel and the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

To discover them, Paul served as our guide. A history graduate like his entire family, the man in his thirties works for My Urban Experience, tourist company specializing in unusual visits. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by alchemy. “Myths and legends have always amazed me”, he confides. “Very young I was already interested in a culture close to the fantastic like black metal music”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBX7JMRMj_c

But what is alchemy anyway? “Its concept evolves according to the periods”, explains Paul. “Some consider it to be the ancestor of chemistry. Alchemists thought that metals had properties as one can believe today that the plant and the stones have them. This definition will be questioned and judged as a little folkloristic to because of scientists like Antoine Lavoisier or Pascal and the appearance of the periodic table “. Later, in the 19th century, alchemy still evolves and takes a more spiritual form: “It was associated with knowledge, knowledge, meditation. Today, it can even be a philosophy or a religion.”

If he does not consider himself an alchemist, not fully adhering to all the doctrines of the discipline, Paul the historian has read a lot on this subject. “I like to try to understand the world in which I am. The writer alchemist René Guénon and his symbolist analyzes have marked me a lot. Also, I grew up in Paris so it is a city that I know by heart and that I like to decipher “.

The Saint-Michel fountain

Paul begins his visit with the immense fountain which sits in the middle of the Place Saint-Michel. Apart from the biblical reading axis, with the representation of a battle between the Archangel Saint Michael and the devil, between the celestial and the terrestrial, there is also, it seems, a whole alchemical interpretation to be made. : “We find the four elements there: water with the fountain, earth with stone, fire with the fiery sword held by Saint Michael and air with the wings of the archangel”, comments our guide.“We can also see an inner struggle between the ignorance that pulls us down, like the devil hanging on his rock and the knowledge that draws us up, lifts us up spiritually, with the four statues representing the virtues located above the angel “.

The Saint-Michel fountain is more recent than it seems. It was built in 1860 by architect Gabriel Davioud. “He is one of the great craftsmen of New Paris. He came from the Parisian bourgeoisie and was therefore initiated into alchemy. The 19th century was truly the golden age of alchemy and esotericism”.

The street and the Nicolas Flamel house

This legendary character was born between 1330 and 1340 and lived for more than 80 years. A record age in a century struck by the Black Death, the Hundred Years War and several famines. “We made Flamel an alchemist because he breaks the codes of the time!”exclaims our guide. The man who worked as a book copyist actually managed to develop a real business in Paris. For the rest of our stroll in Paris, Paul takes us to a street not far from Notre-Dame, which took his name, and where he began his career. “He was a kind of entrepreneur, he felt the right vein and he became a bookseller. Books at that time were a luxury product, reserved for the clergy or judges. He democratized them among the bourgeoisie”, Paul tells us.

Nicolas Flamel then married Dame Pernelle, a widow on two occasions, who had a substantial dowry. Fortunate, the couple invest in real estate and end up owning the entire street. “At the end of his life, Nicolas Flamel is known to everyone. He is even considered a saint. For the time, he is incredible: he is over 80 years old, he has a lot of money and on top of that he is a good Christian. Legends about him quickly multiplied “, explains our guide.

A few steps away, rue de Montmorency, is a reception center that he had built to help the poor. “It is the oldest facade in Paris, it dates from 1407” comments Paul. “We know that it is the house of Nicolas Flamel because there are his initials inscribed in the stone”. Above the door an instruction to be respected to enter is engraved in Latin, translated for us by the historian: “We men and women laborers, living on the porch of this house created in the year of grace 1407, are each required to say an Our Father and an Hail Mary every day, praying to God that his grace forgives us, poor fisherman, Amen”. On the ground floor of this three-storey building, there was a stall which has now become a gourmet restaurant, the Nicolas Flamel.

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris

Surprising but true, Notre-Dame also retains its share of mystery and hides alchemical symbols. Built in 182 years, the Parisian cathedral has been modified several times, notably by the architect (and alchemist, yes yes) Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 1840s. “He was a great fan of Victor Hugo”, says Paul, amused. “He wanted to make Notre-Dame a somewhat magical cathedral, as it was in the novel”.

If the cathedral is today one of the most visited monuments in Europe, it is not for its alchemical treasure, little known to tourists. To find it, you have to look on the pier of the Door of the Last Judgment where there is a statue of Christ. Below it, a small medallion with the image of the Phrygian goddess Cybele is housed in the stone. With her head in the clouds, with the Old and New Testaments in her hand, she is seated behind Jacob’s ladder. “Cybele represents alchemy, the new alliance, the new divinity”, comments the guide. “Around her, there is the representation of the classical teachings. If the path of the virtues is the staircase to reach paradise, the goddess Cybele would be the elevator: the principle of alchemy is to drop dogma, Mass. Rather than praying, imploring Christ, we are told to have recourse instead to knowledge. This medallion is the philosopher’s stone “. A funny lesson to be learned from this work, however sculpted on the facade of a place of worship.

On the roof of the cathedral, Eugène Viollet-le-Duc also concealed a statue of an old bearded man, a pointed hat on his head, commonly called “the Alchemist” …

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