Hotel de Sully is one of the most beautiful private mansions in Paris located in the heart of the Marais district.
Built in 1624
In the heart of the Marais, this 17th century monument was the residence of the Superintendent of Finances of Henri IV, Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully. Since 1967, it has housed the headquarters of the Center des Monuments Nationaux.
The history of the Hotel de Sully began in 1624, when the finance controller Mesme Gallet decided to build a private mansion in the heart of the Marais, a fashionable district at the time. His residence is not lacking in charm: it is embellished with a garden and an orangery, and gives access to the Place Royale (current Place des Vosges) !
The superintendent of buildings to King Henry IV
Maximilien de Béthune, first duke of Sully, former finance minister and superintendent of buildings to King Henry IV, bought it in 1634. The old man finished decorating it and spent his last years there. His grandson Maximilien, second Duke of Sully, built an additional wing to the building in 1660, to the west of the house on the garden side. The Hôtel de Sully still bears the name of this family who occupied it until the 18th century!
It will then pass through the hands of different owners…
Built during the reign of Louis XIII
The Hôtel de Sully is one of the most sumptuous residences built in Paris during the reign of Louis XIII. It is generally attributed to the architect Jean Androuet du Cerceau. The abundant decoration of its facades is dazzling and unusual at that time. This is explained by the fact that the hotel is still related to the Renaissance style. Twenty years later, with the accession of King Louis XIV, the triumph of classicism will reject this profusion of ornaments.
A secret passage
The hotel is presented between courtyard and garden according to the Parisian tradition. It is preceded on the street by two pavilions framing a small entrance body with a terrace like at the Hôtel de Mayenne. In the courtyard, the two side wings have the same elevation as the dwelling. At the end of the garden, the magnificent orangery is pierced with arcades and framed by pavilions. It communicates by a small passage with the Place des Vosges.
