While Paris is often recognized as the capital of love and fashion, the City of Light also has a more mystical side. The capital is also animated by legends and superstitions, some of which are still followed by Parisians. This time, we take you on a journey to discover the places reputed to bring good luck in Paris!
Our first port of call is Montmartre, the capital's picturesque village-district with its own share of atypical legends. In the Place Dalida, which opens onto Rue de l'Abreuvoir, is the bust of the famous singer's tragic story. A true icon of the town, this statue is the subject of a strange superstition: to caress the bust is said to bring good luck. This inappropriate gesture explains the color difference on this bronze, which is due to friction.
Next, we head for Square Suzanne Buisson, a hidden spot on the Butte Montmartre, home to the Saint-Denis fountain. It's easy to recognize the first bishop of Paris holding his head in his hands. Much older than the statue itself, this fountain was long considered a sacred spring. Legend has it that this is the fountain in which Saint-Denis washed his severed head before resuming his march to the place where the basilica bearing his name now stands. The spring is said to have good-luck powers, as the saying goes: "A young girl who has drunk from the Fontaine Saint Denis remains faithful to her husband". Today, the spring is said to have dried up.
We leave Montmartre for another of the capital's iconic and mystical sites: the Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Two of the 73,000 tombs in this famous necropolis are particularly striking. The first is that ofAllan Kardec. This unusual dolmen-shaped tomb is known as the most flower-filled in the cemetery. This is the resting place of the father of spiritualism.Allan Kardec 's final resting place is the subject of a rather strange legend: if you make a wish by touching a certain spot on the tomb, it's likely to come true, in which case the person making the wish must return with flowers. This superstition is so widespread that a note has now been added to dissuade visitors from following it.
We continue our stroll through Père-Lachaise, heading for a particularly realistic recumbent, that of Victor Noir. This journalist was shot dead at the age of 21 by Prince Pierre-Napoléon Bonaparte. His murder sparked a wave of indignation. The sculptor Jules Dalou created this recumbent representing the position in which Victor Noir would have been found after his death. One detail will have attracted the attention of visitors: his prominent manhood. Legend has it that rubbing this part of the sculpture would grant fertility to those having difficulty having a child.
It's time to leave the Parisian necropolis and return to the world of the living, and this time we're heading for the Latin Quarter . A stone's throw from La Sorbonne, the famous Parisian university, is a statue of Michel de Montaigne posing cross-legged. This statue is the subject of a particularly widespread urban legend among students: if you rub the statue's right foot and say " Salut Montaigne", it should bring you good luck in your exams. There's no doubt about it, with exams just around the corner, the bronze statue of Montaigne is sure to be the recipient of many a greeting.
The last stop on our lucky tour was the site of the two trays in the Palais-Royal gardens. Located in the heart of the capital, this popular spotfor Parisians and tourists alike also attracts the superstitious. A visit to Buren's striped columns, and in particular the underground fountain, is a must. At the foot of the central pillar, Parisians of all ages have got into the habit of throwing a coin and making a wish!
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