The Templars and the Parisian Builders 127church of Saint Gilles and Saint Leu, or simply Saint Loup. This church
was originally a dependency of the Benedictine Saint Magloire Abbey,
which still exercised the right to administer high justice in its domain.
The Templars owned important properties in the territory of the Saint
Leu Parish, providing another piece of evidence that testifies to the rela-
tionship shared by the Benedictines and Templars.*
Saint Leu was formerly the seat of a confederation of Saint Anne—
who, we know, was venerated by roofers—and also housed chapels
dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. In
addition, it served, for several different periods of time, as the sanctu-
ary of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem,
who were instituted in the fifteenth century by Pope Alexander VI. This
church's neighborhood had always been a frequent haunt of the
Compagnons Strangers du Devoir de Liberte [Foreign Companions of
Duty to Freedom]—the Loups [wolves]—perhaps because of the patron
saint of the parish, Saint Loup. Even into the nineteenth century the
compagnons still met in cabarets located on two colorful streets: the rue
du Grand Hurleur (formerly the rue Grand Hue Leu, or Hue Loup) and
the rue du Petit Hurleur.^33 The term hurler, meaning "to howl," is still
a compangonnage term, which is significant given that these streets
were already in existence in the thirteenth century. From 1242 to 1540,
the rue du Petit Hurleur was known as rue Jean Palee, referring to the
name of the founder of Trinity Hospital. This quarter also had a rue du
Renard [fox] (which should not be confused with the current street
that holds that name)—which is interesting given that journeymen
designated as "foxes" those aspirants to their ranks.
Saint Merri Church is also of ancient origin. In the seventh century
there was already a chapel by this name built on a site that was then
part of the territory of Saint Gervais. Saint Merri was raised to parish
status sometime during the seventeenth century.^34 According to
Rochegude, the current building was constructed between 1520 and
- Above the main portal, set between two figures on the keystone
- Dr. Vimont, Histoire de l'eglise et de la paroisse Saint Leu Saint Gilles, 4 volumes
(Paris: 1932). The original church, built in 1235, was rebuilt in 1320 and was renovated
and transformed in 1611, 1727, and finally in 1858 with the excavation and construc-
tion of the Boulevard de Sebastopol.