A simple block of stone that hides a centuries-old story... In Paris, at 85 rue de Vaugirard, an ancient stone milestone, embedded in the wall of a school at the corner of rue Littré, still stands, untouched by time. It is the last remaining milestone in the capital. Erected under theAncien Régime in accordance with a royal decree, this milestone indicated a distance of half a league - or a thousand toises, approximately two kilometers - from the square in front of Notre-Dame, considered to be the zero point for roads in France.
Although its inscriptions are now faded, it retains a vertical notch at the top, marking the number 1. This mark underlines the fact that it was the first milestone on the route de Vaugirard, which followed the route of an ancient Roman road linking Paris to the ancient village of the same name.
Beneath the vertical notch, another oval-shaped mark remains visible: it probably housed a fleur-de-lis, the royal emblem that was removed during the Revolution. A report by " inspecteur principal du nettoyment " Brunesseau, dated late 1792 and available in the Archives nationales, mentions the removal of fleurs-de-lis from several markers in Paris, including the one " next to no. 1508 " in the rue de Vaugirard. This number corresponds approximately to today's nos. 75 and 77.
As explained by the Société historique du VIe arrondissement, in 1918 the Commission du Vieux Paris expressedthe wish that "the preservation of the milepost on the rue de Vaugirard, the only remaining vestige in Paris of the first measurement of the roads of France, be ensured for all time ". This wish was respected, although no plaque has yet been affixed to the site.
The existence of this milestone seems to owe its preservation to two factors: its integration into the wall of a school, which did not alter its layout, and the heritage interest it aroused in the early 20th century. The other milestones identified by Brunesseau in various Parisian suburbs have since disappeared, victims of urbanization or roadworks.
Last but not least, this milestone is an indirect reminder of the complexity of the old system of leagues, which varied according to the era: from the Paris league to the Post Office league, their length oscillated between 3.2 and 4.6 km, until the metric league (4 km) became the standard during the Revolution.
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