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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Maison des Jardies, located in Sèvres in the Hauts-de-Seine, is an old winemaker's house transformed into a country house in the 18th century. She became famous thanks to her illustrious owners, including Honoré de Balzac, who lived there from 1837 to 1840. Balzac had a cottage built in the garden there before leaving under pressure from his creditors, then settling in Passy.

In 1878 Léon Gambetta, a major political figure in the Third Republic, bought property from Madame Aimé Fagniez. He retired in 1882 with his mistress Léonie Léon and died there on 31 December of the same year. After his death, the house was given to the state and transformed into a place of memory, with the erection of a statue in his honour, carved by Bartholdi in 1891.

The residence preserves objects and furniture belonging to Balzac and Gambetta, including copies of the newspaper La République française, founded by the latter in 1871. Joined the Historic Monuments since 1991 with its garden, and its statue classified in 1995, the House of the Jardies has undergone several restorations to preserve its heritage. It is now labeled Maisons des Illustres and is open to the public as a museum.

Originally, Gambetta's heart was preserved there until his transfer to the Pantheon in 1920. The house, located at 14 Gambetta Avenue, remains an architectural and historical testimony of the 18th and 19th centuries, mixing literary and political life in France.

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