Boulevard des Capucines
Boulevard des Capucines at the start of the 20th century | |
| Namesake | Couvent des Capucines |
|---|---|
| Length | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
| Width | 35.40 m (116.1 ft) |
| Arrondissement | 2nd, 9th |
| Quarter | Madeleine . Chaussée-d'Antin |
| Coordinates | 48°52′16″N 2°20′01″E / 48.87111°N 2.33361°E |
| From | rue Louis-le-Grand, rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin |
| To | rue des Capucines, rue de Caumartin |
| Construction | |
| Completion | since 1685 |
| Located near the Métro stations: Opéra and Madeleine. |
The Boulevard des Capucines (French pronunciation: [bulvaʁ de kapysin]) is a boulevard in Paris. It is one of the 'Grands Boulevards' in Paris, a chain of boulevards built through the former course of the Wall of Charles V and the Louis XIII Wall, which were destroyed on the orders of Louis XIV.
The name comes from a beautiful convent of Capuchin nuns whose garden was on the south side of the boulevard prior to the French Revolution.
The former name, Rue Basse-du-Rempart ("bottom-of-the-wall street" in French), suggests that, in the beginning, the street paralleled the city wall of Paris. Then, when the wall was destroyed, the street was widened and became a boulevard.