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Introduction

Eiffel tower, a genesis and anecdotes

Champ de Mars-Rue Cler-Hotel des Invalides

Eglise Saint-Louis Dome Invalides Musee Rodin

Anecdotes of a prestigious neighborhood

Rue du Bac-Chapel of miraculous Medal
Musee Maillol

Musee d'Orsay
Introduction

Musee d'Orsay
Ground-level, impressionism before 1870

Musee d'Orsay
Upper level, Impressionists and neo-Impressionism

Musee d'Orsay: medium level and end of visit

Paris-7th arr-Rue du Bac-Chapel of the Miraculous Medal-Musee maillol

RUE DU BAC symbolizes all the religious activities of the 7th arrondissement. At 128, Seminaire des Missions Etrangères, Chateaubriand was buried in the chapel at no.120. At no.136, the Couvent des Filles de la Charité and the most famous of all, at no.140,LA CHAPELLE DE LA  MEDAILLE MIRACULEUSE (The Chapel of the Miraculous Medal), an attraction for the Catholic pilgrimages in and amateurs of religious happenings. This Hotel de Chatillon, built in 1760, is the home of the Sisters of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. The legend tells that Virgin Mary appeared in this chapel on the 27th of Nov 1830, dressed in “ a white silk dress”, to a young girl, a novice nun and former servant Catherine Labouré. Catherine was ordered to create a coin or medal that would protect the people. 4 times the Virgin appeared to her. It took two years before the archbishop of Paris recognized the miracle of the Maria appearances and gave the permission to manufacture the medals as wished by Catherine Labouré. Four years later, already 4 million models of these Maria medals were in circulation, bearing a wonderful power…..
 Today, the seat where Virgin Mary sat in front of Catherine Labouré is the object of an intense veneration. A packed chapel, any time you come, a perfect sampling of all levels of society.  Two shrines contain the corpses of Sainte Catherine and Sainte Louise, founders of the Girls of Charity. But commerce and business are always present: in the courtyard an automatic distributor of rosaries and medals!! But I heard that they cancelled that item: too obvious! Anyway, business is booming because from all over the world people come to make a provision of miraculous guaranteed holy and consecrated. To obtain the medals, it's between 9 am - 12am and 3 pm- 6 pm, sold in a small room before the chapel (from 10 am on Sundays) 
Back to the rue de Grenelle, 59-61, location of the MUSEE MAILLOL, a famous French sculptor 1861-1944). The museum is quite “young” and was financed by his “muse” Dina Vierny, who had an extraordinary passion for the arts and Maillol in particular.She fought an incredible battle with the French authorities and looked during years for the adequate financing.
The Maillol collections, of an incredible wealth, are on the ground floor with his " Monumentales" but other artists are also on display: Marcel Duchamp (admirable Boite en valise and La Mariee), also Russians with strong works as Oscar Rabin (the Passport), Vladimir Yankilevski. On the first floor: charcoal nudes from Maillol, pastels, sanguines, little bronzes, a Pierre Bonnard, Renoir, Odilon Redon, Gauguin,  Maurice Denis. On the second floor more oils and paintings of various artists and above all a beautiful drawing cabinet with works of a lot of modern painters like Picasso, Cezanne, Kandinsky. To resume, an absolutely exceptional museum, to visit with the same enthusiasm that animated Dina Vierny all her life! Outside this museum you can see 18 of Maillol's sculptures in the Jardin des Tuileries.

Bibliography: --Vie et histoire des arrondissements de Paris, ed.Hervas, 1985-1988, 20 volumes- Le piéton de Paris, by L.P. Fargue, ed.Gallimard 1997—Rive Gauche, une expérience unique, by Cl.Evrard, ed.Albin 1991-Dictionnaire historique des rues de Paris, by J.Hillairet, ed.Minuit 1985, -- Hoog in aanzien, gebouwen uit het 7de arrondissment, by.J.Laermans— Vie de Catherine Labouré , by Père René Jordan, ed.Missions.