Paris’ most famous garden and its legend of the ghostly red man
The Jardin des Tuileries, a paradise garden full of beauty and peace in the heart of Paris, has a history that is as eerie as it is fascinating. It is the most famous garden in the city, yet rumors whisper that more than just flowers and plants thrive there. For allegedly, this heavenly spot is haunted by an eerie little red man. The story begins in 1564, when the magnificent Palais des Tuileries was built on the site of old brick factories. Under the orders of Queen Catherine de Medici, several residents had to leave their homes. One particularly stubborn contemporary was Jean l’Écorcheur, a butcher who refused to vacate his premises. He was known not only for his daring, but also for possessing some dark secrets about the queen. Catherine, who was known for her intrigues and power games, decided that this man had to be eliminated. She turned to Knight Neuville, one of her most loyal soldiers, with a request to end the butcher’s rebellion. Jean’s last words before he gave up his life were dark and full of anger: “I will return!” He threatened the queen and also prophesied that she would die “near Saint-Germain.” These words lingered with Catherine for a long time. Her confessor, Julien de Saint-Germain, was the one at her deathbed when she finally passed away. Curse or coincidence? This question has hung over the legendary garden for centuries. Over time, the little red man became a kind of urban legend. Reports repeatedly surfaced that prominent figures had been visited by him before their misfortune. Marie Antoinette, for example, is said to have seen him before her execution, when she was still living in the halls of the Tuileries Palace. It is said that she ignored his warning and thus sealed her fate. Napoleon I also had his encounter with the Red Man shortly before British troops marched against his army at the Battle of Waterloo. He allegedly saw him standing on the battlefield, but here too he ignored the omens that predicted the end of his reign. Louis XVIII, who returned to the throne after Napoleon’s fall, was also not immune to the warnings of the little red man. A few days before his death, he is said to have encountered the figure, who, with a mischievous grin, reminded him of his own mortality. And then there was May 1871, during the Paris Commune, when the Tuileries Palace went up in flames. The red man was last seen as the flames licked the sky and the citizens of Paris were caught up in a desperate struggle for freedom and identity. Was this the final work of Jean l’Écorcheur, who had finally gotten his revenge? One may wish to dismiss these stories, but one cannot deny that the Jardin des Tuileries exudes a very special magic. Today, the garden is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, who spend hours strolling through the flower beds, sitting on the ornate benches, and enjoying the beauty of nature. But who knows? Perhaps some of them are only too willing to forget the older, more sinister stories and dismiss the warnings of the little red man. But for those who hold on to the old traditions, the garden remains a place full of secrets and unsolvable mysteries. A place where the ghosts of the past may still linger. Whether it is a curse or not, the legend of the little red man in the Tuileries continues to be passed down from generation to generation. If you listen carefully, you might even hear the butcher’s whisper through the leaves of the garden: “I will return!” That is how the story ends—at least for now. Who knows what secrets the Jardin des Tuileries still holds? And whether the little red man will actually return one day to remind us once again of the inevitable. In this garden, where history and mysticism collide, the question remains: Are we all just pawns in a great game of history, or can we determine our own destinies? One thing is certain: The Jardin des Tuileries will remain a place of wonder and mystery.
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