Élysée Palace

About

The Élysée Palace (French: Palais de l'Élysée, pronounced [palɛ d(ə) lelize]) is the official residence of the president of France in Paris. Completed in 1722, it was built for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, a nobleman and army officer who had been appointed governor of Île-de-France in 1719. It is located on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement, near the Champs-Élysées. The name Élysée derives from the Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology.

The Élysée Palace has been the home of personalities such as Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), Nicolas Beaujon (1718–1786), Bathilde d'Orléans (1750–1822), Joachim Murat (1767–1815), and Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry (1778–1820). On 12 December 1848, under the Second Republic, the French Parliament passed a law declaring the building the official residence of the French president. The Élysée Palace, which contains the presidential office and residence, is also the meeting place of the Council of Ministers, the weekly meeting of the Government of France that is presided over by the president of the Republic. Across the street is the Hôtel de Marigny, which has served as a state guest house where the French government has hosted visiting dignitaries.