Le Vieux Colombier

Le Vieux-Colombier is a theater in Saint-Germain-des-Prés with an intimate hall holding roughly 300 seats and modern stage facilities. The space is designed so that the focus stays on the performance, with close proximity between stage and audience shaping the experience.

Jacques Copeau founded the theater in 1913 as a response to commercial houses, making it a space for artistic innovation. The stage became a key venue for modern drama and attracted reformers seeking to change how French theater worked.

The name references an old pigeon house that once stood on this spot, shaping the character of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. Visitors notice how the space remains connected to the vibrant intellectual life of the area, where artists and thinkers continue to gather.

The theater is easy to reach on foot from the subway and sits centrally in the Seine-side neighborhood with simple access from many directions. When visiting, keep in mind that seating is tight together and arriving early helps you explore the hall and surroundings.

The basement kept a second life for decades: from 1948 onward it housed a jazz club where musicians like Sidney Bechet performed regularly. This connection to the jazz scene made the space a special gathering point during the city's most exciting musical decades.