Few finance ministers in history are remembered fondly. One of them was Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully (1560-1641), who together with Henri IV (r. 1589-1610) managed to rebuild France’s economy, which had been completely devastated during the civil war that raged between 1559 and 1598.
Like most finance ministers, the duc de Sully managed to amass quite a bit of money, and the result was the charming Château de Sully, located in the Loire Valley, and the Hôtel de Sully in Paris, which offers visitors not just an impressive building but a fascinating story.
The History of the Hôtel de Sully
The building we’re talking about stands at 62 Rue Saint-Antoine, and it was designed by the architect du Cerceau for a man named Gallet, who had won a fortune gambling. Unfortunately for Gallet, money that comes easily also goes easily, and shortly after the building was completed, he had to sell it to pay off his gambling debts. The duc de Sully was impressed with the building and bought it, which is how it got the name Hôtel de Sully. About a hundred meters away, on the same street, stands the church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, and it’s worth visiting both together.
Even though he was already a very old man by then, he never stopped chasing women until his last day. But unlike many men of his era, he didn’t mind at all that his much younger wife led a similar lifestyle. In fact, he even built a special staircase so that her lovers could reach his wife directly without having to pass him and disturb his rest.
The next generation of the Hôtel de Sully continued in the same vein. Sully’s daughter, Marguerite, duchesse de Rohan, had an illegitimate daughter from one of her lovers, and when it turned out that her legitimate daughter, also named Marguerite, was following in her footsteps, it was decided to send her to live on the other side of Place des Vosges. Unfortunately for Sully’s granddaughter, she didn’t inherit his financial skills and racked up heavy debts that got her evicted from her home. But while Marguerite had no luck with money, at least luck smiled on her in love.
In 1645, after a difficult struggle, she managed to marry her beloved Henri Chabot and escape a “political marriage,” devoid of any feeling, to someone of her own social standing (during her struggle, the duchess famously said, “I don’t know if I’ll manage to marry Henri, but I know I can’t live if he marries someone else”). If you’d like to read more about her and her family, I highly recommend the article Josselin and the Rohan Family: A Thousand Years of History.
The couple had several children, and one of them, Anne Julie de Rohan (1648-1709), became one of the mistresses of Louis XIV, and from this love story we’re left with the Hôtel de Soubise.
Voltaire (1694-1778) was also caught up in the history of the Hôtel de Sully. One of its owners, the prince de Rohan, quarreled with him after the premiere of Oedipus. The prince wasn’t satisfied with a mere war of words (an area where Voltaire excelled, known for his sharp wit) and ordered his servants to seize Voltaire in the street and beat him until he bled. The furious Voltaire challenged the prince to a duel, and in return received an all-expenses-paid stay at the Bastille fortress, just a few minutes’ walk from the Hôtel de Sully.
Today the grand building belongs to the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, so unfortunately you can’t visit all its rooms. But you can, and it’s well worth it, visit the lovely garden in its courtyard and the center’s bookshop, with its gorgeous wooden ceiling from the era of Louis XIII. And who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and run into a lover on the staircase.
What else can you do nearby?
The Hôtel de Sully sits in the heart of the Marais, or more precisely, in the 4th arrondissement. Here are a few articles to help you get to know this neighborhood and make the most of it.
Where to stay in the 4th arrondissement of Paris
The Marais is one of the most popular neighborhoods to stay in Paris, and for good reason. It has plenty of charm, history, restaurants, nightlife, and attractions. So if this article has convinced you to stay in the 4th arrondissement, here are the two articles you need:
Attractions in the 4th arrondissement
As I mentioned earlier, the 4th arrondissement has a serious concentration of mansions and other attractions. So if you want to discover them along with a few walking routes you can do at your own pace and for free, I recommend reading the article Attractions in the 4th arrondissement of Paris.
Recommended restaurants in the 4th arrondissement
If all this walking has made you hungry, feel free to check out the article Recommended restaurants in the 4th arrondissement and find yourself an excellent, highly recommended restaurant.
Related reading
