Currently inaccessible due to the restoration work on Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris following the terrible fire in 2019, the zero point of France's roads is located on theforecourt, a true reference point in terms of road markers. This kilometer point serves as a reference point for calculating distances to other cities in the country for the 14 national roads leaving the capital. Consisting of a compass rose engraved in a bronze medallion, the element is wedged between the cobblestones of the forecourt, surrounded by a round stone slab divided into four quarters.
It is thereforethe Île de la Cité, located in the very center of Paris, that marks the beginning of France's roads, a true focal point of daily life and a symbol of the country's centralization around the capital. Initially, this location was not intended to become a road reference point at all, but rather housed a gallows, at the foot of which the condemned knelt to ask for forgiveness. It was Louis XV, in 1769, who decided to make it a milestone, but it was not until 1924 that a plaque was placed to indicate this.
According to Caradisiac, a website specializing in automobiles, a Saint Christopher chapel is said to have existed between the 10th and 11th centuries, on the site of the forecourt, and the saint is the patron saint of travelers. This makes perfect sense, as he can, by extension, protect motorists on the country's roads, just as he did for peasants in carts and nobles in carriages! We eagerly await the reopening of the cathedralto rediscover this symbol, fifty meters from the central door.
Location
Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral
Cathédrale Notre-Dame
75004 Paris 4
Access
Metro - RER: - Cité (4) - Saint Michel - Notre-Dame (B,C) - Hôtel de Ville (1,11) - Maubert-Mutualité / Cluny - La Sorbonne (10) - Châtelet - Les Halles (7,14,A,D)
