Place de l'Estrapade

The Place de l estrapade stands today as a quiet and charming corner of the Latin Quarter, but its name carries the weight of a grim history. It refers to the strappado, a form of torture that was once carried out in this very spot. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, victims were tied by their wrists behind their backs and suspended from a pulley system. The executioner would drop them abruptly, causing the rope to jerk to a sudden halt, which frequently resulted in dislocated shoulders and agonizing injury. This brutal spectacle was commonly used against army deserters and those persecuted for their religious beliefs.