The Mystery of Molière’s Two Parisian Birthplaces
Some Parisian buildings are adorned with an inscription or plaque indicating the birthplace of a famous person. These can be found throughout the city, for example at 6 Rue Brochant, where the singer Barbara came into the world, at 10 Rue Saint-Joseph, where Emile Zola was born, and at 56 Rue Notre Dame de Lorette, the birthplace of Paul Gauguin.
The two birthplaces of Molière
Molière, author and playwright and one of the greatest names in French literature of all time, has not one but two such plaques – on different houses. Since he wasn’t born twice, one of them must be fake. But why would someone put up a forged plate?
First, let’s identify the real one. Is it the flamboyant one with a bust of Molière at 31 Rue du Pont Neuf, or the discreet, minimalist one on Rue Saint-Honoré? One might be inclined to think that the one on Rue du Pont Neuf, with its grandeur, must be the real thing, but a closer look reveals some inaccuracies. For example, the year of birth is wrong and there are a number of grammatical errors.
Set up by a wily landlord?
The real location lies two hundred meters away from the impostor, at 96 Rue Saint Honoré, on the corner of Rue Sauval. As for the plaque, it is said to have been placed in 1799 on the initiative of Alexandre Lenoir, an 18th-century art historian. It remains unclear whether this was an honest mistake or the manipulation of a cunning landlord who wanted to increase the value of his property. It wouldn’t be the first or last time that a Parisian landlord would pull something dubious.
Intentionally or not, the fake plaque continues to fool Molière admirers from all over the world, who stop to take pictures of the wrong house, unaware that the real one is just around the corner.
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