02 - Flax Street

We are now in front of No. 9 rue au Lin.

We can see the remains of a tower of the castle. This tower contained the torture room, because here once stood the Palais du Châtelet.

The construction of the Châtelet fortress dates back to a little before the year 1000. Its construction would spread over several centuries. In the 13th century, the building would be restored and enlarged and would become a royal residence.

Within the castle grounds was the Chapelle Saint-Louis. The chapel, built around 1176, would be destroyed in 1758. Located in the gardens of the Châtelet, it would be given in 1176, by Louis XII, to the abbey of Saint-Euverte. Demolished in 1758, it would serve as a store before disappearing.

From the 18th century, aging, undergoing the assaults of the Loire in 1732, the castle was gradually dismantled and abandoned. If in the past this fortress defended the Pont des Tourelles, it became useless when the Pont Royal was built in 1760 and the Pont des Tourelles destroyed.

Having become an obstacle to traffic, in 1796 it was sold to the architect Benoît Lebrun in order to allow the creation of the Quai du Châtelet. The work was completed in 1804.

This street is called Rue au Lin, simply because of its proximity to the old linen market.

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