Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Hôtel du Cardinal de Richelieu is a private hotel integrated with the architectural complex of Place des Vosges (formerly Place Royale), built in the early seventeenth century. Although bearing his name, Cardinal de Richelieu would never have resided. The building is representative of the aristocratic hotels of the time, with facades and roofs classified as early as 1920, followed by the gallery, the roof on courtyard and the staircase in 1958.

Acquired in 1610 by Robert Aubry, the hotel welcomes the Marshal of Brézé, brother-in-law of the cardinal. In 1659, the Marshal-duc of Richelieu, great-grand-nephew of the cardinal, bought it for 167,000 pounds and expanded it by merging with a nearby hotel belonging to the prince of Guise. The Grand Duchess of Tuscany died there in 1721. In the 19th century, the writer Alphonse Daudet lived there briefly in 1877, in the courtyard of the hotel.

The hotel illustrates the architectural transformations and changes of owners among the Parisian aristocracy, while preserving original elements of the seventeenth century. Its partial classification as historical monuments underlines its heritage importance, linked to the history of the Place des Vosges and the memory of the noble families who occupied it.

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