I have not seen it yet, but Nicolas Flamel, the wizard and alchemist in “Harry Potter,” was a real person. This time it is the story of that Flamel and Paris.
Flamel was born in Pontoise, about 40 km northwest of Paris, around 1330-1340. After moving to Paris, he worked in a variety of occupations. Among them, he used his fortune as a copyist and writer to enter the real estate business, and he married the wealthy widow Pernelle, to whom he continued to donate large sums of money and give to charity until his death in 1418.
Flamel, on the other hand, is said to have bought and translated a book from a Jewish man named Abraham that contained the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone, which extends life and turns metal into gold. Among the items he left behind, there is a rumor that he carved symbols related to the Philosopher’s Stone.
Let’s start with the tower of Saint-Jacques in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. This tower, which seems to stand alone in the center of Paris, is the bell tower of the now-defunct church of Saint-Jacques de la Bouchourie.
The main body of the church was destroyed after the French Revolution and other events, but the city of Paris purchased the tower in 1836. The tower has been used as a meteorological observatory in Paris, but since 2021, visitors have been able to enter the interior only during the summer season. I went up there last summer, but on the day of the tour, while listening to the guide’s explanation, I climbed up and down the 52-meter-high, narrow spiral staircase of about 300 steps, which took about an hour, and it was quite a challenge. But when I reached the top of the tower, I had a panoramic view of the famous sights of Paris!
There is a close relationship between this Saint Jacques tower, or rather the church of Saint Jacques de la Boucherie, and Flamel. Flamel’s residence was located almost directly in front of the church. The main entrance to the church was also built by Flamel. In addition, after his death, Flamel bequeathed his property to the church and was buried on the church grounds with a headstone he had prepared himself. The headstone is now in the collection of the Crigneux Museum of Medieval Art.
Next, we will visit the “House of Nicolas Flamel” (49 Rue de Montmorency, 75003 Paris). Flamel, who became wealthy, had several houses, one of which is said to be the oldest in Paris. It is located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, a little north of where Flamel’s house is said to have been. Although it is called Flamel’s House, it was intended for the poor, and Flamel probably did not live here. Looking at the symbols in the arches of the old house, one wonders if there might be another meaning than what is said.
There is no evidence that he was really an alchemist, and I have a feeling that people who saw Flamel, who lived a long life and became wealthy in his lifetime, created various legends about him, but it is romantic. I visited the tower, the museum, and the house with my imagination about Flamel, and enjoyed Paris from a different perspective.
© Source travel watch
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