Place Paul Painlevé between the Sorbonne and the Musée de Cluny is home to a 758-sq.m. pocket of green – a quiet, tucked-away garden where time seems to have stopped and the roar of traffic on nearby Boulevard Saint Michel and Boulevard Saint Germain can barely be heard.
Architect Jean-Camille Formigé designed this intimate haven in the heart of the lively Saint-Michel district in 1900. In 2000, landscape designers Eric Ossart and Arnaud Maurières revamped the square’s design, giving it a medieval slant in line with the nearby Musée de Cluny gardens.
Nestled within this relaxing setting are two art works: “La Louve Romaine” and the “Monument à Octave Géard” fountain.