The Luxembourg Palace by Esther Singleton

Name: The Luxembourg Palace
Author: Esther Singleton

The Luxembourg Palace* by Esther Singleton is a detailed historical and architectural guide to one of Paris's most storied royal residences, tracing the palace's origins, its succession of illustrious inhabitants, its transformation through France's most turbulent political epochs, and its artistic contents. The work opens with the palace's physical situation and construction. Marie de' Medici commissioned architect Jacques Debrosses in 1615 to build on a site previously occupied by a hotel linked to the Duc de Pincy-Luxembourg; the structure was completed in 1620. The design reflects the queen's Florentine origins: the ground floor is rendered in the Tuscan order as a deliberate echo of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence where she was born, while the upper stories are Grecian. Though Marie intended to name the palace Palais Medicis, popular usage preserved the name Luxembourg, derived from François de Luxembourg, Prince de Tingry, who had owned the land in 1570. Singleton proceeds to trace the palace's ownership through the French royal family. Marie bequeathed it to her youngest son Gaston, Duc d'Orléans, whose two daughters—the celebrated "La Grande Mademoiselle" and the pious Duchesse de Guise—each held half the property, their cohabitation marked by rivalry and domination. Mademoiselle received the visits of M. de Lauzun here and astonished Europe with her announced intention to marry him, to which Louis XIV briefly consented. After her death, her share passed to her cousin Philippe, Duc d'Orléans, brother of Louis XIV. During the Regency, the palace served as residence to the scandalous Duchesse de Berry, daughter of the Regent. Louis XV subsequently purchased the palace, and Louis XVI gave it to his brother "Monsieur," who lived there until fleeing Paris at the time of the flight to Varennes. The Revolution converted the Luxembourg into a state prison during the Reign of Terror. Among the most notable prisoners were the Vicomte de Beauharnais and his wife Joséphine, later Empress of the French. The painter David conceived his famous canvas *The Rape of the Sabines* in a small second-floor room during his own imprisonment there. A grim roster of Revolutionary figures—Danton, Desmoulins, Hébert, Fabre d'Eglantine, and others—were also held here. In 1793, crowds gathered for hours in the garden on the faint hope of catching a last glimpse of imprisoned friends at the windows. Bonaparte presented the treaty of Campo Formio to the Directory at the Luxembourg in December 1797 upon returning from his Italian campaign. The palace subsequently served as the Palais du Consulat, then the Palais du Sénat, and later the Palais de la Pairie. Under the Restoration, Marshal Ney was condemned to death within its walls in November 1815 and executed in the garden's Allée de l'Observatoire; the iron wicket of his prison cell still remained at the time of writing. The ministers of Charles X were judged here, as were Fieschi and the conspirators of 1835, and Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte following the Boulogne attempt of 1840. Singleton describes the palace's principal interior rooms in detail: the Chapel of 1844 decorated with modern paintings; the Ancienne Salle du Livre d'or, which preserves the decorations of Marie de' Medici's original apartments and features a ceiling depicting the Apotheosis of Marie; the arabesques attributed to Giovanni da Udine; and the Salle du Trône, whose cupola by Alaux represents the Apotheosis of Napoleon I. The grand staircase occupies the space once filled by the famous gallery of twenty-four large paintings by Rubens depicting the life of Marie de' Medici, which were removed to the Louvre. The Hôtel du Petit Luxembourg, adjacent to the main palace and built at approximately the same period by Richelieu, is given separate treatment. Richelieu resided there until the Palais Royal was built, then gave it to his niece the Duchesse d'Aiguillon. It subsequently passed to the Bourbon-Condé family, served various royal figures, and at the time of writing functioned as the official residence of the President of the Senate. The cloister of a former convent established nearby by Marie de' Medici had become a winter garden attached to the Petit Luxembourg. The work closes with a description of the Musée du Luxembourg, a gallery dedicated to works by living artists acquired by the State, established by order of Louis XVIII. The collection's contents change continuously, as the works of each artist are transferred to the Louvre ten years after his death, making the museum a perpetually renewing record of contemporary French art.

By Esther Singleton · First published 1906 · Genre: History, Architecture, Travel Writing · 1,562 words

First lines

AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE

The Rue de la Seine will bring us to the Palace of the Luxembourg, / now the Palace of the Senate (open from nine to four in winter, nine / to five in summer), built by Marie de' Medici on the site of a hotel / erected by Robert de Harlay de Saucy early in the Sixteenth Century, / which was bought by the Duc de Pincy-Luxembourg. The queen employed / Jacques Debrosses as her architect in 1615, and his work was completed / in 1620. The ground floor, in the Tuscan style, was intended to convey / a reminiscence of the Florentine Palazzo Pitti, in which Marie de' / Medici was born: the upper stories are Grecian.

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Work type: Article
Author: Esther Singleton
Date: 1906 CE
Language: English
Genres: History, Architecture, Travel Writing, Art History, Architectural History
Length: 1,562 words
Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Genres

History — The text extensively chronicles the Luxembourg Palace's ownership lineage, historical events including the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, notable imprisonments, and political significance across multiple centuries of French history.
Architecture — Detailed descriptions of the palace's architectural elements, including Tuscan and Grecian styles, Jacques Debrosses's design, cupolas, arabesques, galleries, and structural features dominate the narrative.
Travel Writing — The text functions as a guided tour with practical information about visiting hours, specific rooms worth viewing, and descriptions of notable spaces, consistent with 19th-century travel literature.
Art History — Significant attention paid to artistic elements including Rubens's paintings, La Fosse's frescoes, David's artistic work, and decorative arabesques attributed to Giovanni da Udine.