Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés district of Paris is located in the 6th arrondissement (administrative district) at the northern end of Rue de Rennes and centering around the eponymous church. Its inhabitants are called "Germanopratins" in French.
During the Middle Ages, a small community gradually grew up around the Saint-Germain-des-Prés Abbey, located (as its name "Saint-Germain of the Fields" indicates) outside the city limits at the time. By the 12th century, Saint-Germain was a village.
As a neighborhood of Paris, it acquired its identity through the power of attraction it exerted over intellectuals starting in the 17th century. The Encyclopedists used to meet in the cafés of Saint Germain, including Procope, which still exists today.
Throughout the 20th century the Saint Germain des Prés district remained synonymous with literary and artistic life. Philosophers, authors, actors and musicians mingled in the nightclubs and brasseries, where existentialist philosophy coexisted with American jazz in the basement bars of Rue de Rennes, frequented by the novelist and songwriter Boris Vian.
