Memories of Napoleon :
Discover the Palais Vivienne

Towards the end of the 18th century the prestigious reputation of Le Marais was on the wane. Aristocrats left the area and settled down in Saint-Germain; fewer and fewer noblemen chose to live in the mansions of Le Marais.

During the Napoleonic era, (1799 -1815) i.e. the Directory, the Consulate and the Empire, many churches and convents were demolished; those which were not destroyed became either parochial or Protestant churches. As the tower of the Temple was likely to become a royalist symbol, Napoleon had it demolished in 1811. It was located exactly where is now, in the charming Temple Square.

The owners of private mansions left Le Marais one by one and their mansions were turned into shops. Fortunately, by order of Napoleon, the State bought both the Rohan family palaces in 1808. The Imperial Archives were housed in the Hotel de Soubise where remain today. The French government stationary office was located in the Hotel Rohan and it stayed there until 1925. Numerous changes were made to these two mansions but at least they were not demolished!

Today, a long-time friend of mine, Pierre-Jean Chalençon started from scratch and in only 30 years, managed to create one of the biggest collections of Napoleonic art in the world. We were fortunate with photographer Anne Barot as we were invited as very special guests, and had the Palais Vivienne all to ourselves! You can visit the Palais on request, hire it out for a party, a private event, a fashion show or any other fabulous occasion that you would remember for the rest of your life.

Please contact us to plan your event or contact The Palais Vivienne directly on this Facebook page. Phone to Mr Damien Lopes +33 6 58 33 55 51.

A bientôt !

Pascal Fonquernie
Chief Editor PARISMARAIS.COM