The Galerie Véro-Dodat is one of the

covered passages of Paris The covered passages of Paris (french: Passages couverts de Paris) are an early form of shopping arcade built in Paris, France primarily during the first half of the 19th century. By the 1867 there were approximately 183 covered passages in Paris bu ...

. It is located in the 1st arrondissement, connecting the Rue de Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Rue de Croix-des-Petits-Champs. It was built in 1826. Galerie VD, Paris

History

Galerie Véro-Dodat was built by two charcutiers between the Rue Bouloi and Rue de Jean-Jacques Rousseau, between the

Palais Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal R ...

and Les Halles, in 1826. This was during the Bourbon restoration dynasty in the early 1800s, when covered passages or ''galeries'' in Paris were growing quickly in popularity. They provided warm, dry places for the wealthy to shop and dine on rainy, muddy days. In a time before paved streets and sewers, the galleries’ billiards, bistros and public baths served as a grown-up playground for the emerging middle class. At the height of their popularity in the mid 19th century, there were more than 150 passages. However, with the advent of the department store around 1850, the galleries begin to decline. Today, eighteen passages remain. Véro-Dodat was one of the first of Paris's passageways to get gas lighting in 1830, and one of the last to fall into decline. Its decline began during the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

with the demise of the ''Messageries Laffitte et Gaillard''. It was listed as a French historical landmark on 9 June 1965 and was restored in 1997 to its former nineteenth-century, neo-classical glory, complete with its elegant shops specializing in antiques, ''objets d’art'', art books and fashion accessories. It is said this is where French writer

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les ...

would often drink at the restaurant Café de l'Époque, located on the

Rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs The Rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Name The street was built on a land that consisted of gardens named ''petits champs'' ("small fields"). A cross (''croix'' in French) was located next to a h ...

entrance of the gallery, and that is where he took his last drink before committing suicide by hanging in Châtelet. The actress

Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

occupied an apartment in the passage of 1838 in 1842. The print-seller Gabriel Aubert, editor of ''

Le Charivari ''Le Charivari'' was an illustrated magazine published in Paris, France, from 1832 to 1937. It published caricatures, political cartoons and reviews. After 1835, when the government banned political caricature, ''Le Charivari'' began publishing ...

'' and of '' La Caricature,'' also settled there and introduced the gallery to the most famous caricaturists of the time.

Description

The Galerie is neoclassical in style, with marble columns, gold trim, frescoes, and a black and white tiled floor. The passage is arranged to give an illusion of depth, the diagonal grid of black and white tiles, the low height of the ceiling decorated with paintings of landscapes where it is not glass, for shops on the alignment of a strict horizontal plane. The entries in the gallery are ionic arcades closed by gates. Entries are crowned with a

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony ...

. The façade of the gallery on the Rue Bouloi is decorated with two statues in niches representing

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, wikt:Ἑρμῆς, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelle ...

with his winged helmet and a Caduceus hand, god of merchants, and

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

dressed in the skin of Nemean lion.

Retail

Galerie Véro-Dodat is filled with mostly high-caliber, designer boutiques and antique shops. Among them are two

Christian Louboutin Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1963) is a French fashion designer whose high-end stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started hi ...

stores, the women's Paris flagship boutique, and the world's first CL Men's store, Boutique Homme.

Location

References

External links

A photo blog about the Galerie
*Song written by Jean Clause
"Galerie Véro-Dodat"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galerie Vero-Dodat Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris Infrastructure completed in 1826 Covered passages of Paris 1826 establishments in France