Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau

Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau is a townhouse in the Marais featuring ten bays along the garden side and a central pavilion topped with a pediment showing Saturn. The building exemplifies classical Parisian architecture from the late 1600s, with carefully proportioned facades and refined details.

Architect Pierre Bullet designed and built this mansion between 1688 and 1692 for Michel Le Peletier de Souzy, a State Councillor and Finance Inspector. The period marked a flourishing of grand residences for high-ranking officials in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV.

The rooms reflect the tastes and status of its former residents, with the Louis XIV salon displaying white and gold woodwork that speaks to aristocratic refinement. Walking through the mansion, visitors experience how the Parisian elite lived and entertained during this period.

The mansion now operates as part of the Musée Carnavalet, displaying collections focused on the history of Paris across different periods. Visitors should know that the rooms themselves tell stories about how the city evolved over time.

The mansion houses one of France's earliest cast iron central staircases, a technical innovation that was ahead of its time. The orangery section with its thirteen windows features a relief sculpture of Truth by artist Laurent Magnier, a refined detail many visitors miss.