Depliant Guide

History Visit The setting for Information History Visit The setting for Information History Visit The setting for Information historical events historical events historical events L L L English . 4 1

Glossary 0 The forum for the French Revolution The theatres 2 i a m , a p i

t The Domaine S

Composite order : with a capital comprising the n Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans *, also known as The history of the Palais-Royal is caught up with o i s s

acanthus leaves typical of the Corinthian order e Philippe Égalité , was a supporter of new ideas and r * that of the theatre, a tradition that is still very p m i

and the scrolls of the Ionic order. . forbade soldiers from entering the garden, which

e much alive today. The first theatre here was built by National du l z z u

Doric column : this sort of column with no base P became a place for freethinkers. Intellectuals and

n Richelieu in 1637 in the south-east wing of the Palace. I n o and a flat, smooth capital is typical of the oldest i politicians held debates in the clubs and cafés. t The playwright and actor Molière, who was also c u

d Café Corazza Palais-Royal architectural order of ancient Greece. a The , which opened in 1787 in the ’ r head of the King s troupe, presented all of his plays t . r e i

Fontaine, Pierre François Léonard (1762-1853): t Montpensier Gallery, acted as the headquarters s there. After his death in 1673 the theatre was used to e

r A town within the town o a French architect who is notable for having built F for the Jacobins, the revolutionary club which

e perform operas by the composer Jean-Baptiste Lully. n è l é included Robespierre as one of its leading members. the Chapelle Expiatoire in Paris. H Two fires damaged the building, one in 1673 - e i

r From the Palais-Cardinal to a On 12 July 1789, on Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, also known as M and the other in 1781 . A fter this second fire, n

o the Palais-Royal i Philippe Égalité (1747-1793): a cousin of Louis XVI t learning that Necker a Philippe Égalité * commissioned Victor Louis, s i l a

é (a particularly and father of King Louis Philippe I (Philippe I, Duke r the architect of Bordeaux’s theatre, to build a new . s r In 1624 the Cardinal de Richelieu , A rmand Jean e

of Orléans 1773-1850). He was guillotined in 1793. d popular Minister n auditorium, which is now the highly prestigious A ,

s du Plessis, was appointed Chief Minister to the n

Outer courtyard : courtyard giving onto the street e Engraving by of Finances) had Comédie-Française. At the other end stands the S n i Jean-Gabriel King, and decided to take up abode near the Louvre e l

and preceding the main courtyard. P Berthault based been stripped of Théâtre du Palais-Royal, built in 1784 for the n

o Palace, the residence of Louis XIII. To this purpose i on a work by Pilaster : square pillar projecting out from a wall. t his functions, p Comte de Beaujolais’s puppet troupe. It was

e Jean-Louis Prieur, c he acquired the Hôtel n

Rostrum : ornamentation in the form of the prow o late 18th century Camille Desmoulins,

c entirely refurbished in the late 19th century. . x

u de Rambouillet and a

of an ancient warship, rostra in the plural. n a French journalist and revolutionary, climbed onto o i t

a subsequently bought n a table at the Café de Foy in the Montpensier Writers beneath the arcades s

t The Palais-Royal n e in 1679, several adjacent plots of m Gallery and addressed the crowd, exhorting

Practical information u n engraving by o land so as to have a fitting m The charm of the square and its peace and quiet Gilles Jodelet

s them to take up arms. e d de la Boissière dwelling built for someone e

r have attracted many 20th-century writers, some of Average length of visit: 1 hour. t n e

C of his rank. In 1634 he entrusted this project to the Guided tours by reservation / whom have lived here. In 1906 Colette moved into e s

o architect Jacques Lemercier . W hen Louis XIII died in R

on 01 44 54 19 30. . 9 rue de Beaujolais for the first time, returning C , t l 1643 , A nne of Austria took up residence there with u

Adapted tours for disabled visitors. a definitively in 1938, and it was here that she wrote v e R

. her sons, Louis XIV and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans.

E most of her work up until her death in 1954. © s o

t Jean Cocteau first came to the Palais-Royal in 1940 o

h A place of pleasure and power p

s and met Stefan Zweig at the Hôtel de Beaujolais,

Centre des monuments nationaux t i d é r

Domaine national du Palais-Royal c just prior to his exile in the United States. Cocteau In 1692 Louis XIV gave the Palace to his brother 8 rue de Montpensier bought an apartment at 36 rue de Montpensier Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. It remained the 75001 Paris where he lived for over ten years during a particularly property of the Orléans family until 1793, and in tél. 01 47 03 92 16 creative period which saw him write La Belle et la Bête , the 18th century the gardens became one of the fax 01 42 96 13 54 Les Parents Terribles and L’Aigle à Deux Têtes amongst other works. favourite haunts of Parisian high society. As part www.monuments-nationaux.fr of the major changes to the urban environment, the Palais-Royal became the seat of political and administrative institutions in the 19th century . T he French Council of State took up its headquarters there in 1875, followed by the Constitutional Council in 1958, and then the Ministry of Culture when it was set up in 1959. *Explanations overleaf. History Visit The setting for Information historical events L

5 The Beaujolais Gallery The main courtyard N is home to the restaurant Pierre Fontaine * created the ornamental basin in The Théatre Le Grand Véfour , named after Jean Véfour who was cook 1817. In 1992 the garden designer Mark Rudkin du Palais-Royal Despite the transformations it has undergone over Rue de Beaujolais to Philippe Égalité * and who turned the former Café conceived two “green rooms ” bordered by time, the H-shaped layout characteristic of Richelieu’s de Chartres , which had opened in 1784, into one of flowerbeds. The Centre des monuments nationaux, leading gastronomic restaurants. Le Grand Véfour became which is in charge of running the site, has devised original palace has survived, with its outer courtyard * 5 and main courtyard. The architect Pierre Fontaine * the meeting place for leading figures in Parisian political a sustainable gardening policy based on respecting completed Victor Louis’s project on the request of and artistic circles. The decor of the restaurant is placed natural cycles and planting perennials. the future King Louis-Philippe in 1828 and built on the Supplementary List of Historic Monuments. The 8 A small bronze cannon was made by the r e

the Doric porticos * to the Orleans Gallery. i writer Colette lived for nearly 20 years at 9 rue de clockmaker Rousseau, who had a shop in the s s i The Proues Gallery n Beaujolais . A commemorative plaque has been placed Beaujolais Gallery, and installed in 1786. It was 1 in the Valois wing dates from e o l p a t

V above the Perron passage. placed on the Parisian meridian and enabled people 1634, and is one of the few remaining parts of the n e o

d 6 The Valois Gallery is an ideal place for strolling to set their watches when it was fired at midday Palais-Cardinal. The ground floor with its decor M 6 e e

u ’

of rostra * and anchors evokes Richelieu’s role d thanks to its many boutiques, and is now home to each day . A magnifying glass caused the sun s rays 4 R e

as Superintendent of Navigation and Trade. u part of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. to light the fuse. It ceased functioning in 1911 In 1983 the main courtyard was rehabilitated, R 7 The Orleans Gallery is the fourth wing and was when Greenwich Mean Time was imposed by law. and the Ministry of Culture launched a policy meant to enclose the garden to the south, but lack of After the cannon was stolen in 1998 a replica was of public commissions. money meant that Victor Louis’s project was abandoned installed in the garden, in 2002, and it has been 2 Photo-souvenir : Les Deux Plateaux is a work by 8 in favour of temporary wooden galleries, built in 1786. fired at midday every Wednesday since 2010. Daniel Buren that was installed in 1985 and restored These two covered walkways were used for all sorts in 2009. It is composed of striped cylinders placed Reception of unusual attractions and businesses, and they became 7 on a grid that is aligned with the columns of the 3 known as the “camp des Tartares”. In 1828 the Duke of The Orleans Gallery. The cylinders are made of white Constitutional 1 Orléans, the future King Louis Philippe, commissioned Carrara marble and black Pyrenean marble. Council 2 the architect Pierre Fontaine * to complete the 3 Fontaines : this work by Pol Bury was installed Main The Ministry Palais-Royal, and the fire-damaged wooden galleries The courtyard of Culture and in 1985 in the Orleans Gallery and is composed Comédie Communication were replaced by the Orleans Gallery, a luxurious of two fountains whose metallic spheres reflect Française glazed and gas-lit passageway with boutiques on either side. It was a success and launched the the Palace’s architecture. The Council Place of State fashion for covered passageways in Paris. The galleries Colette The garden Place du In 1781 Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans * Palais-Royal commissioned architect Victor Louis to build housing The garden is laid out on either side of the central around three sides of the garden. Colossal pilasters * alley and aligned with the building. It was created by of composite order * were placed at regular intervals Pierre Desgots for Richelieu in 1633, before being along the facades of these five-storey terraced 4 The Montpensier Gallery was completed in 1784, redesigned by André Le Nôtre in 1674. Its layout was dwellings. The arcades on the ground floor were as were the Beaujolais and Valois Galleries. In 1940 definitively altered when Victor Louis’s wings of housing used for shops. The galleries they formed bore the the poet Jean Cocteau moved to number 36, where were added, limiting its size to its current dimensions names of the Duke of Orléans’s sons – Montpensier, he lived for more than ten years. of 226 metres long by about 92 metres wide. Beaujolais and Valois.

*Explanations overleaf.