Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre: station history
Served by: metro lines 1 and 7.
Did you know?
Served by lines 1 and 7, in the 1st arrondissement, the station lies under place du Palais-Royal, facing the Louvre and the Palais-Royal. It was renamed in 1989, on the occasion of the inauguration of Pei's pyramid, to emphasise access to the museum. It was previously simply « Palais Royal », and Louvre-Rivoli received its current name at the same time. The two lines have separate platforms there, linked by corridors.
Anecdote
The Kiosque des Noctambules by Jean-Michel Othoniel, a work of Murano glass beads installed in October 2000, forms a brightly coloured dome at the entrance. In the Valois gallery, 40 metres by 6 with 12 Art Nouveau alcoves, the fresco « La Pensée et l'Âme huicholes » (Huichol Thought and Soul), made of two million 2 mm beads by the shaman Santos de la Torre, was given in exchange for a Guimard edicule installed at Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The station also served as a location for « Le Samouraï » (1967) and « Rabbi Jacob ».
Audio guide
The Comédie-Française, the "Maison de Molière"
On March 8, 1900, the Théâtre-Français went up in smoke... and was reborn in less than ten months. 🔥🎭
It all began in 1680: Louis XIV brought together the Parisian troops in one, the Comédie-Française, heiress of Molière's troupe, hence his nickname "Maison de Molière". It then received a monopoly on French-language parts in Paris. 👑
Another tasty detail: in 1812, it was from Moscow, in the middle of the Russian countryside, that Napoleon signed the decree that still fixes its operation! 🇷🇺
After several addresses, the troupe settled in 1799 in the Richelieu Room, on the edge of the garden of the Palais-Royal, built by the architect Victor Louis. 🏛️
On March 8, 1900, a fire ravaged the room and the stage. The young actress Jane Henriot lost her life. Paris is in shock. 💔
But the show continues: the actors play at the Odeon during the works. The architect Julien Guadet rebuilt at a record pace, and the room was inaugurated on 26 December 1900. On the ceiling, a decor painted by Albert Besnard. ✨
Today, its 862 seats still welcome Molière, Racine or Hugo, in a repertoire of more than 3,000 pieces.
Around Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre
- Jardin du Palais-Royal, 280 m away — A formal garden of about 20,000 square metres, designed by Pierre Desgotz and surrounded by galleries, with the "remarkable garden" label. The palace was built for Richelieu in 1629; Buren's columns were added in 1986 in the main courtyard.
- Musée du Louvre, 30 m away — The world's largest museum, a former royal palace home to the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, with its famous glass pyramid.
- Fontaine Molière, 300 m away — Fountain inaugurated in 1844 at the corner of rue de Richelieu and rue Molière, by the architect Louis Visconti. The bronze Molière is by Seurre; the marble figures of Serious Comedy and Light Comedy are by Pradier.
- Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 260 m away — One of the world's largest decorative arts collections, 150,000 works from the Middle Ages to today, in the Louvre's Marsan wing.
- Comédie-Française, 130 m away — Company founded in 1680, based since 1799 in the Salle Richelieu, designed by Victor Louis (1786-1790), which seats 862. Molière's armchair, the one he used as Argan in The Imaginary Invalid, is on display in the public foyer.
- Galerie Vivienne, 500 m away — Widely regarded as the finest covered passage in Paris, built in 1823 and listed as a historic monument since 1974: mosaic floors, a glass roof and elegant shops along 176 metres.