Square Barye on Ile Saint Louis Paris
Square Barye is located on the tip of the Ile Saint Louis island and with a large monument in this garden as well, which is dedicated to the sculptor Antoine Louis Barye, and the area provides lovely views of the River Seine plus it is a tranquil place for a picnic with its numerous varieties of flora.
A bit of history
There was once a Celestine monastery with formal gardens and a beautiful chapel located at the end of the Ile Saint Louis, however, this was devastated during the French Revolution and eventually torn down in 1840.
The Square Barye was created on this space in a the form of a triangle shape with a large monument, both of which were dedicated to Antoine Louis Barye, who was a French sculptor that specialised in animals after studying them within the Jardin des Plantes. And even today some of his works can be seen in the Tuileries Gardens and in other museums in Paris such as at The Louvre.
The monument itself was produced by Laurent Marqueste, and again you will be able to discover other works by him within the Tuileries Gardens plus at the Grand Palais. And there was originally a bronze statue located on the top of the pedestal of this large monument in Paris, but it was melted down during the occupation in World War II.
About Square Barye in Paris
Within the Square Barye you will find numerous different varieties of plants and trees including weeping willows, Lebanese cedars, Irish yews, elms, alders, acacia trees and many more, and there are plenty of benches dotted around where you can sit in the shade and relax.
But there is also the impressively large monument that you can still discover, and it was only in 2011 that an exact copy of the original bronze statue was cast and put back in pride of place at the top of the pedestal, just as it was originally designed.
There is also a lovely viewing platform right at the very tip of the Ile Saint Louis within this square, which provides great views of the River Seine and over to the the Quai Saint-Bernard on the left bank, which is where the Jardin Tino Rossi and the Musee de la Sculpture en Plein Air are located.
Visiting Square Barye
As you have already gathered, the Square Barye is located on the eastern tip of the Ile Saint Louis island and the nearest Metro station is accessed by the Pont Sully bridge going over to the right bank of the River Seine where you will find the Sully - Morland stop via line 7.
A little further away you do have Metro line 10 that stop at Jussieu, or if using the Paris buses you would bus numbers 24, 63, 86, 87 or 89 that will stop nearby.
However, unfortunately we would like to point out that people with reduced mobility would have very limited access to this garden and square in Paris as steps need to be negotiated to reach some areas at the end of the gardens.
