Saint Genès

History of Saint-Genès district

Between the boulevard Georges V, rue de Pessac and the course of the Argonne, the Saint-Genes district was in the Middle Ages only a marshy area. The parish of St. Nicholas is assigned to lepers. In the 19th century, with the establishment of the boulevards, Saint-Genès will become one of the chic suburbs of Bordeaux, covering itself with multi-storey houses and luxurious mansions. The variety of current architecture reflects a craze that lasted until the first half of the 20th century: neoclassical and Baroque-inspired facades rub shoulders with Art Deco and Art Nouveau masterpieces. The medieval Saint-Nicolas chapel gives way in the 18th century to a church whose architecture is inspired by the French and Italian styles of the Renaissance. On the boulevard side, Notre-Dame-des-Anges church will be built in the 19th century. First Franciscan, it will be entrusted to the Jesuits at the beginning of the 21st century.

The essentials of the Saint-Genès district

Three centuries of development have made the poor medieval Saint-Genès suburb a bourgeois district with a rich architectural heritage. There is the church of Saint-Nicolas-de-Grave built around 1820, the military hospital Saint-Nicolas, the former children's hospital and its metal bridges connecting the different pavilions, and the old parish of Saint-Genes de Duluc Street. In the heart of the district, the Diocesan House Saint-Louis Beaulieu is a former Carmelite convent built at the end of the 19th century. Right next to the Beaulieu area, in an old private property, has been landscaped the Jardin des Dames de la Faith, an 8000 m2 landscaped garden.

Living in the Saint-Genès neighborhood

Renowned quiet and well served by public transport, the Saint-Genès district seduces for the beauty and diversity of its architecture. Families appreciate the presence of several schools including the kindergarten, primary, middle and high school levels, as well as the presence of warm and equipped green spaces like the Jardin des Dames de la Faith. The tram line B serves the neighborhood. It allows to reach the city center on the one hand, university campuses on the other hand. Saint-Genès is also home to a student residence and the Saint-Antoine Nursing Assistants Training Institute. From the Nansouty stalls to the Art Deco facades of rue Duluc and 19th buildings and mansions, the varied real estate offer satisfies different sensibilities.