The Rue Saint-Sulpice is a street in Paris, located in the 6th arrondissement.
The Rue Saint-Sulpice is a public street situated in the neighborhoods of Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and the . It runs along the northern side of the Saint-Sulpice Church.
The area is served by Line 4 at the Saint-Sulpice and Odéon stations, as well as Line 10 at the Odéon station.
The street is named after the Saint-Sulpice Church, which it borders.
The Rue Saint-Sulpice was formed in 1851 through the merger of the former Rue du Petit-Bourbon and Rue du Petit-Lion.
The former Rue du Petit-Lion extended from the Rue de Condé to the Rue de Tournon. Opened around 1500, it was initially called "ruelle descendant àla rue neuve de la Foire" or "ruelle allant àla Foire" (referring to the ). By the 17th century, it became known as the Rue du Petit-Lion due to a shop sign featuring a lion. It was also referred to as the "Rue du Petit-Lion-Saint-Sulpice" to distinguish it from the Rue du Petit-Lion-Saint-Sauveur (now the Rue Tiquetonne).
The Rue du Petit-Bourbon, connecting to the Saint-Sulpice Church since the 16th century, was formed in 1816 by merging two streets: the Rue du Petit-Bourbon (between the Rue de Tournon and the Rue Garancière) and the Rue des Aveugles (between the Rue Garancière and the Place Saint-Sulpice). Located in the former 11th arrondissement, Luxembourg quarter, the Rue du Petit-Bourbon-Saint-Sulpice began at nos. 1âÂÂ2 Rue de Tournon and nos. 101âÂÂ70, ending at nos. 1âÂÂ2 Rue Garancière and Rue des Aveugles. The street numbers were marked in red, with the highest odd number being 9 and the highest even number 12.
The street was likely named after Louis III de Montpensier, whose mansion was located between the Rue de Tournon and the Rue Garancière. It is cited as the "Rue du Petit Bourbon" in a 1636 manuscript. In 1702, within the Louvre quarter, the street had four houses and four street lanterns. In 1792, it was merged into the Rue du Petit-Lion but renamed the "Rue du 31-Mai" in 1793 to commemorate the fall of the Girondins. It reverted to its original name in 1815.
North of the church, between the current Rue Saint-Sulpice and Rue Mabillon, lay the Cimetière des Aveugles. This small cemetery, one of six under the Saint-Sulpice parish, measured 33 by 28 meters, opened in 1664, and closed in 1784. The section between the current Place Saint-Sulpice and Rue Garancière is cited as the "Rue de l'Aveugle" in a 1636 manuscript, later known as the "Rue des Prêtres" (1642), "Rue du Cimetière-Saint-Sulpice," and "Rue des Aveugles" (after 1697). Until the mid-18th century, the Rue des Aveugles extended to the Rue des Canettes, but houses south of this section were demolished to create a small square (part of the current Place Saint-Sulpice). The Rue des Aveugles was incorporated into the Rue du Petit-Bourbon in 1816.