The current Place Monge/Mouffetard district lies on the site of the former town of Saint-Médard, constructed on the banks of the Bièvre. The river, which gave off foul odors due to the riverside tanneries and butcher shops, was gradually channeled and then completely buried. Place Monge/Mouffetard, gardens and terraces The Arènes de Lutèce (entrance at 49 Rue Monge) are one of the oldest monuments in Paris (dating back to the end of the 1st century) and one of the most amazing. At the bottom of Rue Mouffetard, the exquisite Eglise Saint-Médard has an extravagant Gothic nave from the end of the 15th century.