Hôtel Saint-Pol

The Hôtel Saint-Pol was a sprawling royal residence that defined this part of the Marais during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. King Charles the Fifth commissioned the site in thirteen sixty, choosing to move his household away from the cramped, volatile atmosphere of the city center to a more spacious retreat on the Right Bank. The complex occupied a vast area between the Rue Saint-Antoine and the Seine, featuring interconnected buildings, quiet gardens, and galleries. It served as a private sanctuary for Charles the Fifth and his successor, Charles the Sixth, offering the king direct access to the Bastille fortress should he need a quick escape.