The beginning of The Da Vinci Code takes place in Paris, visiting some of Paris most famous and visited attractions, notably the Louvre Museum and the Jardins des Tuileries. The Da Vinci Code visits other less famous Paris attractions: Saint-Sulpice Church and the Arago Rose Line. Saint-Sulpice Church, the supposed home to the Priory of Sion is in fact Paris' biggest church. Saint-Sulpice is larger than Notre Dame! The present church, built in the middle of the 16th century replaced a previous Romanesque church built in the 13th. Yes, Saint-Sulpice has a brass line on its floor and an Obelisk as The Da Vinci Code states. But it's not the Paris Meridian (that's about 100 yards away), what the The Da Vinci Code calls the Rose Line. In fact the line inside Saint-Sulpice is used to determine the winter solstice and Easter. At one end of the brass line is the Obelisk and the other end a marble plate. When the sun, passing through a Saint-Sulpice window with a lens in it, touches the Obelisk it is the winter solstice. When the sun touches the marble plate it is the summer solstice. When the sun shines on the metal plate in the middle between the Obelisk and the marble plate it is Easter. The Arago Rose Line, simply called the Rose Line in The da Vinci Code is the once 0 longitude line, better known as the Paris Meridian. The world used the Paris Meridian to calculate 0 longitude until 1888, then Greenwich England became the first prime meridian. In the 1990's 135 bronze disks were placed in its honor. The Arago Rose Line is named after French astronomer Francois Arago who recalculated the Paris Meridian in the early 19th and thus gave it greater accuracy. The Arago Rose Line runs north south through Paris for a distance of about 6 miles. Finding the Arago Rose Line can be a bit difficult but a lot of fun. I would try the Comdie-Franaise near the Palais Royal, also close to the Louvre. It might take time but you will find them! For more information and lots of photos about Paris locations from The Da Vinci Code please visit Da Vinci Code Paris - http://www.da-vinci-code-paris.com |
