Temple: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 3.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from rue du Temple, which recalls the former Temple house, now demolished, which stood where the square du Temple and the streets to the north are today. It opened with the first section of line 3, between Avenue de Villiers and Père Lachaise. It lies under rue de Turbigo, between Arts et Métiers and République, the latter being very close. Its single entrance opens onto place Élisabeth-Dmitrieff, named on International Women's Day, and its staircase is topped by a Guimard pavilion listed as a historic monument.
Anecdote
Since 1982, a mosaic by Hervé Mathieu-Bachelot, « Couleur en masses » (« Colour in masses »), has stood between the ticket hall and the corridors leading to the platforms. London also has a Temple station, on the Circle and District lines, whose name also refers to the Templars; together with Saint-Paul on line 1, it is one of the two names the two networks share.
Around Temple
- Carreau du Temple, 270 m away — An 1863 iron-and-glass market hall built on the site of the old Temple, a popular clothing market, listed as a historic monument in 1982.
- Musée des Arts et Métiers, 400 m away — The Conservatoire was created in 1794 at the proposal of Abbé Grégoire and moved in 1798 into the former priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. The museum displays Foucault's pendulum, the Blériot XI and Pascal's calculating machines.
- Square du Temple, 180 m away — A peaceful garden laid out on the site of the former Templar fortress.