The red's children market ("le marché des enfants rouges")

Where is the Marché des Enfants-Rouges?

The Red-Children's market is located to the north of the Marais district, at 39, rue de Bretagne, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.

The Enfants-Rouges market can be reached by taking the Bus line n°20, stop Square du Temple, which is a three-minute walk from the market.

The market is also a 6-minute walk from the Arts et Métiers metro station (line 11).

Why is the market called “Les Enfants-Rouges”?

The marché des Enfants-Rouges takes its name from the orphanage founded in 1535 by Marguerite de Valois, sister of King François I.

The orphans who resided there were known as the “Children of God”.

But why were they called “enfants-rouges”?

Depending on the source, several answers co-exist:
- The children were dressed in red clothes, symbolizing Christian charity. This is why Parisians called them “les enfants rouges”.
- Or they took the name “red children” because they had in common that they had killed their mother in childbirth. They were therefore separated from the “blue children” taken in by the other hospice, the foundling hospice, which took in children found outside, often freezing, blue from the cold.

Where was the Red Children's Orphanage located?

The orphanage stood on the site of today's market.

What is the history of the Red Children's Market?

The Marché des Enfants Rouges was created in 1615 at the request of King Louis XIII, and was originally called the “petit marché du Marais”.

In 1772, the orphanage closed, but the market adopted the name it bears to this day, the Marché des Enfants-Rouges, in memory of the orphans.

In 1912, the Mairie de Paris bought the market, making it a reference point for Parisians to buy their milk.

The orphanage closed in 1772, but the market has remained open ever since.

What is the heritage status of the Marché des Enfants-Rouges?

The Marché des Enfants-Rouges is the oldest covered market in Paris still in use.

It has been listed as a historic monument since March 8, 1982, guaranteeing its preservation as a historical and cultural heritage site.
In 1994, it narrowly escaped demolition and conversion into a parking lot, a project that had been envisaged by Paris Mayor Jacques Chirac. From 2000 onwards, the market gradually reopened with new shops, following renovation work carried out a few years earlier at the request of Bertrand Tavernier and local residents.

Some photos of the Marché des Enfants Rouges

Back to Patrimoine Historique du Marais