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Key figures

Origin and history

The Medicis column, formerly known as the Horoscope column, is a 31-metre-high hollow doric column, built in 1574 in the courtyard of the Queen's Hotel in Paris. Awarded to architect Jean Bullant, it was commissioned by Catherine de Médicis and contains a 147-step staircase leading to a platform. His monogram (H and C interlaced) and symbols such as lily flowers or broken mirrors adorn his 18 grooves, evoking his connection with Henry II and his taste for astrology.

Although its exact function remains uncertain, the column could have served as an astronomical observatory for Como Ruggieri, although the proximity to the church of Saint-Eustache limited visibility. It also symbolized the power of the Queen Mother and would have had a commemorative vocation. In the 18th century, the Hotel de Soissons (former Queen's Hotel) and the column were sold separately. The latter, saved by Louis Petit de Bachaumont in 1748, was offered to the city of Paris before being equipped with a sundial in 1764.

The column, which was listed as a historic monument in 1862, survived the transformations of the area, including the construction of the Halle aux wheats (1760) and the Bourse de commerce (1889). In 2021, its summit hosted a luminous installation by Philippe Parreno, inspired by René Daumal's novel Le Mont Analogue. A fountain, added in 1812, and a Latin commemorative plaque recall its turbulent history.

Today, joined to the Exchange of Commerce in the Gardens of the Halles, the Medici column remains a rare testimony of Renaissance architecture in Paris. Its interior staircase and platform, although partially modified, preserve traces of the original symbols related to Catherine de Medici. The sommital metal structure and the remains of the 19th century fountain illustrate its successive adaptations.

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