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Origin and history

The Palais de l'Institut, originally named Collège des Quatre-Nations, was built between 1662 and 1688 in Paris, on the plans of Louis Le Vau. Commanded by Cardinal Mazarin in his will of 1661, he was to welcome sixty gentlemen from the provinces recently attached to France by the Treaties of Westphalia (1648) and the Pyrenees (1659): the Artois, Alsace, Pignerol and the Roussillon. Latin inscription on its façade, ICL. MAZARIN. S.R.E. CARD. BASILICAM.ET.GYMNAS.F.C.A.M.C.D.L.X.I, recalls its cardinalcy and educational vocation.

In 1796, after the Revolution, the building became the École centrale des Quatre-Nations, before being awarded in 1805 to the Institut de France by order of Napoleon I. Founded in 1795 to replace the royal academies, the Institute brings together five academies (French, science, fine arts, inscriptions and letters, and moral and political sciences) under one dome. The architect Antoine Vaudoyer then transformed the chapel into a meeting room, while in the 19th century Hippolyte Le Bas added a wing housing work spaces.

Ranked a historic monument in 1862, the Palais de l'Institut also houses prestigious foundations, such as that of Aumale (domain of Chantilly) or Jacquemart-André (museum and abbey of Chaalis). His recent archaeological excavations revealed vestiges of Philippe Auguste's enclosure, testifying to his deep historical anchor. Today, it symbolizes French intellectual excellence, under the protection of the President of the Republic.

The Institut de France, located in this palace, manages an exceptional heritage: libraries (Mazarine, Thiers), castles (Langeese, Kerylos), and museums (Condé, Marmottan-Monet). Its organization, governed by decrees such as that of 2007, is based on a Chancellor, a central administrative commission, and autonomous academies. Despite criticism of its management (the Court of Auditors report in 2015), it remains a pillar of culture and research, with activities disseminated via its web radio channel Canal Academies.

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