Pillar of The Boatmen - History of The Pillar

History of The Pillar

Some time in the 3rd century, the stone blocks that formed the pillar were broken into two and used to reinforce the foundations of the walls along the riverbank. Over time, the island grew slightly so that the 3rd-century wharfs are now a dozen meters from the banks of the modern river (Kruta 1883).

The Christian cathedral of St. Etienne was founded by Childebert in 528 AD on the site of the Gallo-Roman temple; Notre-Dame de Paris was in turn built over this in 1163 AD.

The pillar was found on 6 March 1710 (not 1711, as is often erroneously stated) during the construction of a crypt under the nave of Notre-Dame de Paris and first published by Baudelot de Dairval in 1712. (Busson pp. 445–446). Not all of the pieces were recovered; for three of the tiers we have only the top half.

After discovery, the stone blocks were taken to the Hôtel de Cluny, a mediaeval ecclesiastical building constructed over the remains of a 2nd century Roman bath house. This became the Musée de Cluny and then, the Musée national du Moyen Age.

In 2001, the blocks were restored, removing the black patina of grime that had accumulated on the surface of the stone over the three centuries since discovery (Saragoza 2003). The restored stones are once again on display in the museum.