Abbesses (, literally ''Abbesses'') is a station on Paris Métro Line 12, in the

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

district and the 18th arrondissement. Abbesses is the deepest station in the Paris Métro, at 36 metres (118 feet) below ground, and is located on the western side of the ''butte'' (hill) of Montmartre. Access to the platforms is by elevator or the decorated stairs.

Location

Nearby are the ''Montmartre'' district, the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre (church), the Place du Tertre and the Église Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre (

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

church). The station is named after the ''Place des Abbesses'', referring to the abbesses of the nearby abbey of the ''Dames-de-Montmartre''.

History

The station opened on 30 January 1913, three months after the extension of the Nord-Sud company's line A from Pigalle to Jules Joffrin. On 27 March 1931, line A became line 12 of the ''Métro''.

Station layout

Architecture

The station's entrance, designed by

Hector Guimard Hector Guimard (, 10 March 1867 – 20 May 1942) was a French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style. He achieved early fame with his design for the Castel Beranger, the first Art Nouveau apartment building i ...

(1867–1942), is one of only two remaining glass-covered "dragonfly" entrances, known as ' (the other is located at Porte Dauphine, while a replica exists at Châtelet). Though a Guimard original, the ''édicule'' at Abbesses was originally located at and was transferred to its current location in 1974. The entrance is technically anachronistic, since line 12 of the Paris metro was built by a competing firm, the Nord-Sud Company, which did not hire Guimard but engaged other architects to design its stations and station entrances.

Abbesses in popular culture

* Abbesses is featured in '' Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain''; a working title for the film was ''Amélie des Abbesses'' (''Amélie of the Abbesses''). Though set at Abbesses station, the film was actually shot at Porte des Lilas station, which has a disused platform that has been specially set up for filming. * The entrance to Abbesses metro station is featured near the beginning of music video for Howard Jones' '' What Is Love'' as well as several other locations around Paris *

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

has a messenger style bag in the Monogram Canvas line named after the station. * A cartoon version of the station appears in the official music video for "Flowers", the ninth track on '' Émilie Simon''. * "Abbesses" is also where Minette's fashion studio is located in a Nancy Drew PC game '' Danger By Design''. * The French DJ crew Birdy Nam Nam has composed a musical piece called Abbesses. * Featured in multiple scenes of the final episode of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series '' Sense8''.

References

External links

Renovation works schedule from RATP web-site (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbesses (Paris Metro) Paris Métro stations in the 18th arrondissement of Paris Railway stations in France opened in 1912 Art Nouveau architecture in Paris Art Nouveau railway stations Paris Métro line 12