European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 04, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Tuil erics gardens offer a pastoral setting and a merry go round for  historic lesson Paris filled _ _. With monuments j -. To political and. 7 .7 romantic intrigue 7 by Susan sob1n staff writer. Paris in the Spring and summer is not for sissies. Often you my amp fight through crowds to visit the sights you Capplo see. There Are however places to escape the hordes of tourists and grab a few moments of peace. You can relax with parisians at place Des Vosges a secluded Square surrounded by the apartments. Of late aristocrats coif can roam Luxembourg 7-gardens, watching children sail boats in a Pond. Next to the Palace. 7. 7 ,7lif you feel Claustrophobic after squeezing through the louvre the Palace Grunds and a. 7 Tuil eries gardens lie just outside you la find More. Space and Breeze there. And a Bench in the Park behind notre Dame offers a Chance to look at the Cathedral and the Seine in peace. These spots Are also the setting for an enjoyable history lesson. During the reign of Henry in they played a role in some of France s notorious ,. Political conflicts and romantic scandals. If you had visited notre Dame on Henry s wedding Day in 1572, you would have seen him and his betrothed saying their vows in front of the Cathedral. The Bride went to Church without him. Henry did not attend because of his religion protestantism. A a a the reason for the wedding was France s civil War. Catherine de m6dicis, widow of King Henry ii had arranged Young Henry s marriage to her Catholic daughter Marguerite de Valois to help end fighting Between the catholics and protestants Huguenots. A a when Henry in became King opposition in Paris. To his religion was so Strong he moved to the City s. Outskirts. In 1593 Henry gave up trying to take the City by Force and changed his religion to end the. War. Many were sceptical of the King s sincerity. But it brought results. He entered the City amid cheers. Quot Paris is Well Worth a mass he reportedly quipped on the Way to a service at notre Dame. The religious conflict continued to stalk Henry however through a tall Strong 32-year-old Man with red hair and sunken burning eyes. He was a Mystic named Ravilla. Ravilia had a vision that Henry planned a War against the Pope and he plotted to kill the King. On May 14,1610, when. Henry went to visit his prime minister Ravilla. Found his Chance. A. As Henry s Carriage entered Rue de la Ferro Nerie near the intersection of Rue de Rivoli Quot. And Rue St. Denis it stopped to let oncoming coaches pass. Ravilla sprang into the open Carriage and stabbed the King in the Chest. By the time Henry s horses had galloped Back to the a a louvre the King was dead he was a victim of the fanaticism he had tried to end. During his life he was obsessed with Romance. In addition to his marriages annulling the first to Marfy Marie de Medicis daughter of an italian r Duke he found romantic conquests As necessary As. Territorial ones. And he flaunted them. On the West end of the louvre for example you May notice an quoth Quot with two Quot a Quot a High at the top of a Wall nearly hidden under some molding. They Mark Henry s love for Gabrielle d entrees a married aristocrat. It was an outlandish breach of custom louvre monograms usually stood for Kings and their Queens. There were More originally but Marie had All she could find erased. A place Des Vosges a Square of 36 apartments surrounding a dry Sandy Garden is Henry s Monument to love. According to historian Vincent Cronin his romantic nature inspired him to use Pink Stone rare in Central Paris. Henry died before the Square was completed but judging from past performance he would have found plenty of. Female companions to woo in the Pink place. In All he had 56 mistresses. 7 7. A a a. Small wonder he and his wife were  Good terms. He planned to live in the Middle House on amp  i a Iii a. I.,a 10 stripes a Magazine april 4, 1991