Abbesses, Metro station in Montmartre, France
Abbesses is a metro station in Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Its entrance showcases glass canopy elements and wrought iron details, with platforms situated deep underground.
Abbesses opened on 30 January 1913, nearly three months after the Nord-Sud company extended its line A from Pigalle to Jules Joffrin; trains had passed through without stopping until the station was finished. The extension had been approved by the municipal council on 3 July 1905 and declared of public utility by the law of 10 April 1908. On 27 March 1931, after the Nord-Sud company was absorbed by the CMP on 1 January 1930, line A became today's line 12.
The name comes from the Place des Abbesses, referring to the abbesses of the Dames-de-Montmartre abbey; several streets nearby carry their names, such as Marguerite de Rochechouart and Louise-Émilie de La Tour d'Auvergne. The station ranks first alphabetically among Métro stations. On line 12 plans it carries the subtitle Butte Montmartre, though this is absent from the platform walls.
The single entrance, on the central island of Place des Abbesses by No. 2 rue La Vieuville, leads down a fixed staircase under the Guimard canopy. The platforms lie 36 metres below the surface, reached by decorated spiral stairs or a lift; the stairwell walls carry two murals on Parisian life installed in 1984.
The entrance originally came from Hotel de Ville station and was relocated to its current location at Place des Abbesses in 1974. This makes it a relocated piece of Paris metro architecture.
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