The Hôtel de Sens () or Hôtel des archevêques de Sens is a 16th-century ''

hôtel particulier () is the French term for a grand urban mansion, comparable to a Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse. Whereas an ordinary (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a ...

'', or private mansion, in

the Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. It spreads across parts of the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd and 4th arrondissement of Paris, 4th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements on the Rive Droit ...

, in the

4th arrondissement of Paris The 4th arrondissement of Paris (''IVe arrondissement'') is one of the twenty Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''quatrième''. Along with the 1 ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It nowadays houses the Forney art library.

History

The ''hôtel'' was built to serve as a residence for the

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

s of

Sens Sens () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yonne Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km southeast from Paris. Sens is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture and the second la ...

. Before 1622, Paris was not an

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

, but rather a diocese suffragan to the

Archdiocese of Sens The Archdiocese of Sens and Auxerre (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Senonensis et Antissiodorensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Sens et Auxerre'') is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese comprises the department of Yon ...

. The archbishop was a prominent figure of power, his residence reflecting his influence within the urban landscape. A first ''hôtel,'' at this location, was built for the archbishops of Sens in 1345, which was later used by

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, King of France, as a part of his royal residence, the '' hôtel Saint-Pol''. When the Kings settled in the newly built

Louvre palace The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxe ...

, the building was destroyed, only to be replaced by the current ''hôtel'', built between 1475 and 1519 by Tristian de Salazar and reinstalled as the residence of the archbishops of Sens. As such, it served as the house of many renowned prelates, such as Antoine Duprat, Louis de Bourbon de Vendôme, Louis de Lorraine, Nicolas de Pellevé (who died in the ''hôtel'') or

Jacques Davy Duperron Jacques Davy Duperron (; 15 November 1556 – 6 December 1618) was a French politician and Roman Catholic cardinal. Family and Education Jacques Davy du Perron was born in Saint-Lô in Normandy, into the Davy family, which belonged to the Norman ...

Margaret of Valois Margaret of Valois (, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as , was List of Navarrese royal consorts, Queen of Navarre from 1572 to 1599 and Queen of France from 1589 to 1599 as the consort of Henry IV of France and III of Navarre. Ma ...

also lived there in 1605 and 1606, and her decision to cut down a fig tree (''figuier'') in front of the building that was impeding her carriage, is said to have inspired the name of the street, ''rue du Figuier''.Leonard Pitt, ''Promenades dans le Paris disparu'', Paris, Parigramme, 2002, p.154. Hotel de Sens cannon ball mark

In 1622, Paris became an archdiocese. The archbishops of Sens lost the major part of their power in the city, and their sojourns in Paris became progressively less frequent. The ''hôtel,'' transferred during the 17th century to the

archdiocese of Paris In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

, entered a lasting period of progressive decay. During the French Revolution it was confiscated as a '' bien national'', sold in 1797 and privately owned throughout the 19th century, housing, like many ''hôtels particulier'' in the Marais at the time, shops, workshops or factories. During the '' Trois Glorieuses'' street fights of 1830, a cannonball hit the facade and lodged deep within the wall ; it is visible nowadays above the main entrance, the date engraved beneath. Protected as a

heritage site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

in 1862, the building was acquired by the city of Paris, and thoroughly restored in 1930. The Forney art library was installed in it in 1961.

Notes

Houses completed in 1507 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1507

Houses in Paris Le Marais Buildings and structures in the 4th arrondissement of Paris {{France-struct-stub