The Palais-Royal, located on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, is a historic former royal residence. Its façade faces the Place du Palais-Royal, directly opposite the Louvre. Originally known as the Palais-Cardinal, it was constructed between approximately 1633 and 1639 under the direction of architect Jacques Lemercier, for Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu later bequeathed the estate to Louis XIII. Subsequently, Louis XIV entrusted the palace to his younger brother, Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Over the years, subsequent Dukes of Orléans made extensive modifications to the structure, resulting in the near-complete loss of Lemercier’s original architectural design.
Today, the Palais-Royal serves as the headquarters for several significant governmental institutions, including the Ministry of Culture, the Conseil d’État, and the Constitutional Council. The central gardens, known as the Jardin du Palais-Royal, function as a public park and are lined with shops housed within the arcade surrounding the garden.
Originally serving as the personal residence of Cardinal Richelieu, construction was initiated by architect Jacques Lemercier in 1629. The construction process spanned from 1633 to 1639, with the gardens being established beginning in 1629 by Jean Le Nôtre (father of André Le Nôtre), Simon Bouchard, and Pierre I Desgots, based on a design by Jacques Boyceau. Following Richelieu’s death in 1642, the palace was appropriated by the Crown and was renamed the Palais-Royal.
After the death of Louis XIII, the palace became the residence of Queen Mother Anne of Austria and her young sons, Louis XIV and Philippe, Duke of Anjou, alongside her advisor Cardinal Mazarin.
Beginning in 1649, the palace also accommodated the exiled Henrietta Maria and Henrietta Anne Stuart, widow and daughter respectively of the deposed King Charles I of England. The two had fled England amidst the English Civil War and sought refuge through Henrietta Maria’s familial connections with King Louis XIV.
The Palais Brion, a separate annex located near Rue de Richelieu to the west of the Palais-Royal, was acquired by Louis XIV from the heirs of Cardinal Richelieu. Louis connected this section to the main palace. Historically, it was at the Palais Brion that Louis XIV housed his mistress, Louise de La Vallière, during the early stages of his affair with Madame de Montespan, before the relationship became publicly acknowledged.
