Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul II

Located in the city's 4th arrondissement on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité, the square is bordered by the Hôtel-Dieu hospital to the north, the cathedral of Notre-Dame to the east, the Seine River to the south, and the Prefecture of Police headquarters to the west.

The square contains France's point zéro marker, making it the very center of Paris for the purpose of measuring travel distance.

Many different buildings were constructed over the years, including a Roman defensive wall and Saint Etienne de Paris, an early medieval church.

Surrounding buildings at the time included Saint-Jean-le-Rond and Notre-Dame to the east, the chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu to the south, and the Hôpital des Enfants-Trouvés and the church of Saint-Christophe de Paris [fr] to the west.

Drawings made at the time show that a short wall was built around the western and northern sides of the square to control traffic.

Jean-Baptiste Lassus and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc referenced this recent discovery in their written proposal to restore Notre-Dame in 1843.

Although the change was not without its drawbacks, as American authors Richard and Clara Winston noted "Something has been gained, something lost, by the creation of the vast open square in front.

"[5] For about 100 years from the renovation of Baron Haussmann until the 1960s, the parvis was a major traffic thoroughfare, including a double tram line.

The usage of the parvis for measuring travel distance is a tradition originating in the Middle Ages by pilgrims travelling to Notre-Dame visiting a pre-Roman age statue commonly referred to as Monsieur Legris (Mister Grey), which was destroyed in 1748 when the square was enlargened and the medallion installed in its place.

In 1625, a fountain was built next to the statue with an inscription written in Latin on the statue reading, translated; “Approach those of you who are altered, and if by chance my waters are not enough, go to the temple and the goddess you invoke will prepare eternal waters for you” with some believing its a reference to the Virgin Mary or a reminder to all Christians to be pray and fast[7] In 1965, excavation work began in the square to build an underground parking garage.

The crypt is managed by the Musée Carnavalet, and contains a large exhibit, detailed models of the architecture of different time periods, and how they can be viewed within the ruins.

Since the 2019 Notre-Dame de Paris fire, the eastern half of the parvis has been closed off and used as a working space by the restoration team.