Between 145 rue Saint-Denis and 10 rue Dussoubs, the Passage du Grand-Cerf unveils a gallery roughly 117 meters long and 3 meters wide. But it is above all its glass roof that soars to 11.80 meters high, a feature that immediately catches the eye! A record among the Parisian covered passages.
Its history, however, begins even before the arrival of this grand glass-and-metal structure, at a time when the Hôtel du Grand Cerf stood there. Before the French Revolution, the establishment notably served the Royal Messageries' diligences. In 1825, the House of the “Grand Cerf” is demolished and the site redeveloped. The exact opening date of the new gallery remains uncertain, but it seems it was already in operation before the riots that shook the Saint-Denis street area in 1827.
However, its current architecture would date from around 1845, when the grand glass roof was installed. The use of a partially metallic structure then allowed it to rise quite high and to create two levels of facades that are largely glazed. The living spaces don’t begin until the third floor. The decor, for its part, remains fairly sober, with a neoclassical vocabulary that puts the spotlight mainly on the volumes.
Historically, production and craftsmanship have occupied a central, enduring place here, and they still do, with a thriving network of shops selling jewelry, furniture, decorative items, lighting, design, and other creative trades. In 1875, the designer Léon Leymonnerye sketched one of the entrances from the old Rue des Deux-Portes (the drawing is now kept at the Musée Carnavalet), and a few decades later, Eugène Atget photographed the access at 145 rue Saint-Denis, capturing its appearance as it stood at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.
It was also in the Passage du Grand-Cerf that a scene from Louis Malle's film Zazie dans le Métro was shot. But the 20th century wasn't as kind to this passage, mirroring what happened to other covered passages of Paris. Gradually neglected, it fell from grace... before undergoing a major rehabilitation in 1990!
As you emerge onto Rue Saint-Denis, simply cross the roadway to continue the stroll in another 19th-century passage, the Passage du Bourg-l'Abbé. Two neighbours, but two very different architectural styles!
Paris’s most beautiful covered passages, for a historic stroll sheltered from the elements
You may not know it, but Paris is home to numerous covered passages, some of them built centuries ago. Discover the most beautiful covered passages in Paris, their history, and their secrets! [Read more]
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Location
Passage du Grand-Cerf
Passage du Grand Cerf
75002 Paris 2
Route planner
Paris’s most beautiful covered passages, for a historic stroll sheltered from the elements
