Cardo Maximus

The Cardo Maximus of Lutetia runs directly beneath the current Rue Saint-Jacques. It exists as a straight line cut through the city, designed by Roman engineers to serve as the main north-south axis of their settlement. In the second century, this paved road supported the weight of wagons moving goods from the river to the forum. When the city shrank, residents built over the stones, burying the road deep below the street level where it remains today.