Wandering today on the narrow old streets of Paris, around the beautiful square of Saint-Sulpice, it is possible in the presence of imagination (and in its complete absence of boring to read or travel) to see the end of a stone alleyway near the square blue cloak with a cross and a musketeer hat with a plume . But the memory once sarcastically tells a connoisseur of Paris, that in those early years, and streets, squares and hotels were other that the foundation of the current grand cathedral of Saint-Sulpice was just then laid the first stone, and his magnificent two-story colonnade rose over the area until the second half of XVIII century. With only the middle of XVIII century grew beautiful mansions on the street where he lived Athos (on Rue Feru) and on neighboring streets. As for the magnificent fountain of the Four Bishops, the creation of the architect Visconti, the true ornaments of one of the most beautiful squares of Paris, it was built only in the last century. Now, every summer, this area breaks up the tents Bazaar antique dealers and booksellers, and I am pleased to happen to linger in the tray, flipped through some old edition of "Musketeers" in two steps from the house of Athos, from home Porthos and the home of M. de Treville ...

But back in the XVII century and go along with the young Gascon on the street Colom, the palace of M. de Treville. As you remember, all these mansions and palaces, all of these "hotel partikyuler" were between the gate and the entrance to a small patio, yard, or even more "honorable court" - "chickens d'onner. So, the court of M. de Treville was a at that time, according to the novelist, very picturesque sight. Most of all, says Dumas, it resembled a military camp, because on it from six o'clock in summer and eight in winter walking back and forth, armed to the teeth and ready to fight the Musketeers. That's outside our carefree young Gascon and had somehow hurt his future friends, to accept their challenge to a duel, and to agree on a duel - for Luxembourg ... Oh, around the Luxembourg Palace in those days vodilos still many secluded villages. Shortly before these events, the Queen Marie de Medicis, who was fond of this quiet, green suburbs of Paris, bought from the local monasteries, gardens and orchards, ordered to arrange a park and build it into a magnificent palace that would remind her native Florence and Palacio Pitti ... In this picturesque suburb after a confrontation Musketeers with the cardinal's guards, to which we have come close, there was a lot of events in the wake of which we are with you and go.

As you have seen, the lives of three fellow musketeers, who were joined by their young friend - Gascon D'Artagnan (not yet a musketeer and guard of the company cavalier Dezessara), took place mostly in Paris, left bank, in the southern part of the Abbey of Saint- Germain, near the Place Saint-Sulpice and the Latin Quarter. "It was always possible to meet these inseparable - writes luma (or, as you remember, write to the queue Maquet and Dumas) - ryschuschih to find each other from Luxembourg to the Place Saint-Sulpice or on the streets of the old pigeon to Luxembourg. In fact, it's very small distances, so inseparable friends, one can say flock "to patch". Oh, I remember, I myself wandered there without a weary, first settled in the Paris loft of his friend Lev - Russian psychologist and writer. That was twenty years ago, and must certify that it is a beautiful and mysterious "Piglet" left bank of Paris, where every corner is saturated flavor of mystery and historical memories, where everything leads to a respectable antiquity, which is so nice to feel Athos, Porthos and Aramis . Aramis, according to Dumas, lived near the Cherche-Midi, between the streets of cassettes and Servandoni. There will have to take into question the name of the last streets, because Servandoni architect who built the church of Saint-Sulpice, became known only a hundred years later. However, this does not prevent you recommend this corner of Paris for a walk. On rue Cherche-Midi and more in the XIV century was the way to Vaugirard (or Val-Gérard). As for the street Casset, and now preserves the house of XVII century and in addition the built beautiful buildings a century later, that this is indeed one of the oldest streets of the quarter. Later on it, the house painter Le Bren, lived Mont talamber, then the family of Alfred de Musset, even later - the poet Rainer Maria Rilke and playwright Alfred Jarry.

Beautiful Madame Bonacieux from the novel by Dumas, trusting young D'Artagnan, led him, if you remember the night by the mysterious house number 77 on the Rue de la Harpe, where he was hiding the Duke of Buckingham. La Harpe - it is a Russian transliteration of the name of the famous streets of the Latin Quarter Rue de la Harpe, street Harp (of course, that it was in the bo-goslovsko-student district could only go on the harp of King David). Once this very important street on which stood the old colleges, and even earlier Roman baths (and now she has kept a beautiful house of XVII century), went almost to the Luxembourg Palace - at least until the street Monsieur Le Prince . In the middle of last century its lop two new osmanovskih Boulevard - Boulevard Saint-Germain and Boulevard Saint-Michel. Today is a short little pedestrian street with restaurants and cafes, with the eternal, inexhaustible, a noisy crowd of tourists, students ... And only at night, standing somewhere in the shadow of the church of Saint-North and listening to the ringing of a bell, you can imagine that anxious night XVII century, when Madame Bonacieux brought here young Gascon ... In the mysterious night, if you remember, from the gardens near the Luxembourg Palace came lingering smell of flowers, lonely and frightening sounded in the silence and the dark sound of the knocker, and now ... Now here prevail smells of countless Greek restaurants.

Described by us "snout" of the left bank of Paris is a ten minute walk from the center of the cathedral of Notre-Dame or the Louvre. But the outing to the gate of Saint-Cloud, where she was kidnapped by Madame Bonacieux - this is a whole journey to the edge of the world. And mud-spattered D'Artagnan, seeing trousers Monsieur Bonacieux, immediately realized that mercer also visited near Saint-Cloud ...