in the vicinity of Paris and chose not to reside in Paris for long periods. Influential
monasteries and the area’s commercial importance probably had more to do with the
growth of Paris in the 11th century than did the monarchy. The shift of power under the
Carolingians and the difficulties of recovery in the early years of Capetian rule are
marked by the absence of major building between the late 7th and early 12th centuries.
The texts mention important repairs and some rebuilding after the Viking devastation, but
there is little indication of either new foundations or new building activity until the
reconstruction of the nave of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the first half of the 11th century,
which is the only surviving example of Romanesque architecture in Paris.
The pacification of the Île-de-France by Louis VI and the greater profitability of the
royal domain increased the prestige and effectiveness of royal government and with it the
importance of Paris, especially after Louis VI took up residence there ca. 1130. The
presence of royal government became an important factor in the city’s expansion during
the 12th century. The religious establishments, with their increasingly important schools
and the continuing expansion of trade, maintained their demographic impact. The schools
and the retail establishments that served them accounted for much of the growing
population of the left bank, while the merchant community occupied the right bank,
expanding rapidly beyond the limits of the old city. In addition, the Capetians found Paris
a strategic point from which to check Angevin power to the west and the aspirations of
the house of Champagne to the east. Under Louis VI (d. 1137) and during the long reigns
of Louis VII (d. 1180) and Philip II Augustus (d. 1223), Paris experienced an
unparalleled period of growth and expansion that far surpassed any previous epoch in the
city’s history. Indeed, the period sets the character of all future growth into the 19th
century: rather than tear down and rebuild the old parts of the city, the tendency was
always to expand in new directions, to build in new areas, and to push agriculture farther
out. This policy is exemplified by Louis VII’s grant of lands on the right bank to the
order of Knights Templar, whose new “Temple” became their European headquarters and
the center of their banking operations. From this time until the end of the 13th century,
the royal treasury was housed in the Temple’s keep. The round church, built ca. 1140,
and the impressive keep were destroyed after the French Revolution.
Paris, Saint-Pierre de Montmartre,
plan. After Sauvegeot.
Although it was under Louis VI that the building boom in Paris began, little remains prior
to the reign of Louis VII. The records and charters are filled with important royal
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