Zero point of French roads

The zero point is located about fifty meters in front of the entrance to Notre-Dame, on the Île de la Cité, in the 4th district. The road marker that materializes this point in the cobblestones of the cathedral's square takes the shape of a compass rose engraved in the center of an octagonal bronze medallion; it is surrounded by a circular stone slab divided into four quarters, each bearing one of the inscriptions in capital letters: "POINT", "ZERO", "OF ROADS" and "OF FRANCE".

It should not be considered as a geodetic marker that would materialize a geodetic point; for example, the closest geodetic point in the RGF was, until the fire on April 15, 2019, the spire of the cathedral. Following its collapse, the nearest geodetic point is the spire of the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis church, located just under 800 meters to the northeast.

Originally, in the Middle Ages, in front of the entrance of bishops and later archbishops, a post known as the "Ladder of Justice" stood where the condemned would kneel to make amends. Bareheaded and barefooted, holding a large yellow wax candle in their hands, they wore on their chest and back a double placard indicating the nature of their crime or a noose around their neck if they were condemned to death. Criminals were then displayed on this gallows which served as a pillory. The ladder was replaced in 1767 or 1768 by a collar which was adopted as the zero point by letters patent from Louis XV on April 22, 1769. This point was first marked by a milestone by a royal letter on April 22, 1786.

The marking of this point in its current form was debated for twelve years by the Paris City Council and the Commission of Old Paris, between 1912 and 1924. The plaque was finally ceremoniously installed in 1924, either on October 10 or January 22, depending on the sources. It was removed in 1966 and replaced in 1972, to allow for work initially intended for the construction of an underground parking lot beneath the square. However, archaeological discoveries about the history of Paris eventually led to the creation of a crypt to protect them (the archaeological crypt of the Notre-Dame square).

According to some analyses, it would symbolize the centralization of France around its capital.