One station a day: Abbesses station, beneath the « Butte »

The Abbesses station was opened in October 1912 on line A (now line 12) of the Nord-Sud network. While the Compagnie du métropolitain de Paris (CMP) operated almost the entire metro network, the competing Nord-Sud company emerged by constructing and operating lines A and B (the current northern part of line 13).

The name of the Abbesses station comes from the Place des Abbesses, located above it, named in honor of the 46 abbesses who led the Abbey of the Dames de Montmartre.

The Benedictines of Saint-Pierre-de-Reims, whose head is called the abbess, settled in the abbey founded under the orders of Louis VI and Queen Adélaïde of Savoy in the 12th century, at the site of the former church of Montmartre, which belonged to the monks of Saint-Martin-des-Champs.

In the 17th century, significant renovations were undertaken. At that time, two abbeys were distinguished: the 'lower' abbey and the 'upper' abbey, which would gradually be abandoned in favor of the former. The main entrance to the 'lower' abbey is located at the corner of Yvonne-Le-Tac and Abbesses streets. During the Revolution, all the buildings of the 'lower' abbey were evacuated and sold as national assets in 1792. They were demolished shortly thereafter.

The Abbesses station is the only one on the network that serves the legendary hill of Montmartre, which, since the 19th century, has been a favorite neighborhood of artists. Renoir painted his Moulin de la Galette there, while Picasso, Braque, Van Dongen, Max Jacob, and Apollinaire showcased their talents at the Bateau-Lavoir.

This corner of Paris also evokes the legendary era of cabarets and chansonniers: the Chat Noir of Aristide Bruant, Le Lapin Agile, the Mirliton, and others, which embody the spirit of France, and especially that of Paris.

One unique feature of the Abbesses station is its covered entrance, designed in the Art Nouveau style by Hector Guimard and considered one of the most beautiful on the network.

Historically located at Hôtel-de-Ville, it was relocated to the Abbesses station in 1974, creating a historical inconsistency, as the Nord-Sud stations typically have much more understated wrought-iron access compared to the Guimard entrances.

Located not far from the highest point of the "Butte" at 131 meters, the Abbesses metro station is the deepest on the network, with the rail level positioned 30 meters below the roadway.

To facilitate access, two shafts were dug, one of which houses elevators, while the other features a double spiral staircase.

Since 1984, these famous flights of stairs have been adorned with artistic works. During the station's renovation in 2007, one flight received a mural from artists of the Paris-Montmartre association, while the other features photographs by artist Jacques Habbas, depicting the Butte Montmartre.

To stand out, the Nord-Sud company pays special attention to the architecture and design of its stations. The space is airy, and the vaulted ceiling is adorned with decorative ceramics that stretch from one platform to the other. The station name is inscribed on ceramic tiles in white against a blue background, and the corridors feature friezes with a wave-like pattern, while the intertwined initials "NS" can be seen around the advertising frames.

In the 1960s, like many stations on line 12, Abbesses was clad, meaning it was covered with metallic sheathing that included advertising frames. During its renovation in 2007, the removal of this cladding allowed for the restoration of the original Nord-Sud style.

To learn more, discover the blog article on the Abbesses metro station.

Gallica is one of the largest digital libraries freely accessible on the Internet. It provides access to all types of documents: printed materials (books, newspapers, and magazines) in both image and text formats, manuscripts, audio documents, visual documents, maps and plans, and videos.