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Origin and history

The hotel of Matignon is a Parisian mansion built in 1722 at the request of Christian Louis de Montmorency-Luxembourg, Prince of Tingry, on the plans of architect Jean Courtonne. Located on rue de Varenne in the 7th arrondissement, the construction site, more expensive than expected, was transferred in 1723 to Jacques III Goyon de Matignon, who completed the work in 1724 under the direction of Antoine Mazin. The name "Matignon" pays tribute to the Breton municipality of origin of this aristocratic family.

The hotel passed into the hands of several prestigious owners, including the princes of Monaco (via the marriage of Jacques IV Goyon with Louise-Hippolyte Grimaldi) until 1793. During the Revolution, he was sequestered after the arrest of Honoré III of Monaco, then sold in 1804 to the British businessman Quentin Crafurd. In 1807 Talleyrand acquired it and held a great reception there before selling it to Napoleon I in 1811.

In the 19th century, the hotel changed hands several times: rented to religious or private individuals such as American colonel Herman Thorn, it was redesigned by Felix Duban for the Duke of Galliera in 1852. After the death of the Duchess of Galliera in 1886, he briefly became an embassy of Austria-Hungary before being bought by the French State in 1922. Since 1935, it has officially housed the Prime Minister and his services, with a three-hectare park designed in 1902 by Achille Duchêne.

Ranked a historic monument in 1923, the Hotel de Matignon symbolizes the French executive power. Its park, exceptionally open to the public, has a hundred plant species and a tradition: each prime minister (except Jacques Chirac) plant a tree there. The 18th century music pavilion still hosts official meetings.

Access to the park, once possible on a Saturday per month, is now restricted to Heritage Days and Garden Rendez-vous in June. The site remains a protected workplace, where aristocratic history and republican function mix.

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