Saint-Fargeau: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 3 bis.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from place Saint-Fargeau, itself named after the street of the same name, in tribute to Louis-Michel Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau (1760-1793), a nobleman deputy turned revolutionary. According to Wikipedia, it is the only station on the network to bear the name of a « saint » who is not strictly one. Opened with the extension of line 3 from Gambetta to Porte des Lilas, it was later handed over to line 3 bis. It lies under avenue Gambetta, in the 20th arrondissement.
Anecdote
Its single entrance is a pavilion designed in 1922 by Charles Plumet, with bas-reliefs and faience; this model exists only at the neighbouring stations Pelleport and Porte des Lilas. Because of the depth of the platforms, it has two lifts and seven flights of stairs. The advertising frames are honey-coloured faience with plant motifs, and the station is the starting point of the « voie des Fêtes » and « voie navette » connections to line 7 bis.
Around Saint-Fargeau
- Parc de Belleville, 1400 m away — A sloped park offering one of the finest free panoramas over Paris.
- Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, 1200 m away — Paris's largest cemetery, the final resting place of Chopin, Édith Piaf and Jim Morrison.
- Rue de Belleville, 750 m away — A lively street crossing the cosmopolitan Belleville district, known for its street art.