Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Palais-Royal, originally named Palais-Cardinal, was built in 1628 by Cardinal Richelieu on the site of the hotel of Rambouillet, near the Louvre. Richelieu built a sumptuous palace with a theatre, a gallery of Illustrated Men decorated with portraits painted by Philippe de Champaigne and Simon Vouet, and gardens. When he died in 1642, he bequeathed the palace to Louis XIII, provided that he served as a royal residence. The regent Anne of Austria and the young Louis XIV stayed there during the Fronde, before the building was abandoned, considered unworthy of a king.

In 1692, Louis XIV offered the Palais-Royal as an apanage to his brother, Philippe d'Orléans, dit Monsieur, who lived there and beautified according to his artistic tastes. Monsieur's apartment, rich in porcelain collections and paintings, and the Gallery of Illustrated Men, bear witness to this fascinating period. The Regent, the son of Monsieur, installed his court there during the Regency (1715-1723), transforming the palace into a place of festivals, shows and political power, rivaling Versailles. The gallery of Énée, painted by Antoine Coypel, and the collections of paintings of the Regent made it a high cultural place.

In the 18th century, the Duke of Chartres (later Philippe Egalité) launched a vast real estate operation in 1780, framing the garden of commercial galleries designed by architect Victor Louis. These galleries, with their 180 arcades, housed cafés, restaurants, theatres (including the Comédie-Française in 1799) and gambling houses, making the Palais-Royal the heart of Parisian life. The circus, tea salons and boutiques attracted a mixed crowd, mixing aristocrats, bourgeois and artists. The French Revolution found fertile ground there: Camille Desmoulins called for the insurrection of 12 July 1789, and the palace, renamed Palais-Egalité, became a symbol of new ideas.

In the 19th century, the palace was restored by Pierre Fontaine for Louis-Philippe, then housed under the Second Empire Prince Napoleon, who received the liberal elite there. The fires of 1871, during the Commune, partially damaged the right wing, but the restorations allowed the Council of State and the Constitutional Council to be permanently installed there. The Ministry of Culture settled in 1959, and in 1986, Daniel Buren's Two Plates were inaugurated in the court of honour, marking the introduction of contemporary art in this historic place.

Today, the National Estate of the Palais Royal, classified as a Historic Monument, combines architectural heritage (18th century galleries, theatres, gardens) and republican institutions. Its courtyards and gardens, open to the public, remain a place of walking and culture, while its walls house centuries of French political, artistic and social history.

Future

It now houses the Council of State, the Constitutional Council and the Ministry of Culture.

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