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Institut de France Review
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Institut de France
- Address: Pl. de l'Institut, St-Germain-des-Pres, Paris | Map It
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French Institute
- Category: Government Buildings
- Location: St-Germain-des-Prés
Fodor's Review:
The institut is one of France's most revered cultural institutions, and its curved, dome-top facade is one of the Rive Gauche's most impressive waterside sights. The site once held the Tour de Nesle, which formed part of Philippe-Auguste's medieval fortification wall along the Seine. The tower had many royal occupants, including Henry V of England, but it's mostly remembered because the lovers of a number of French queens were tossed from its windows. In 1661 the wealthy Cardinal Mazarin willed 2 million French livres (pounds) for the construction of a college that would be dedicated to educating students from Piedmont, Alsace, Artois, and Roussillon, provinces that had been annexed to France during the years of his ministry. Mazarin's coat of arms is sculpted on the dome, and the 350,000-volume library in the east wing still bears his name.
The Académie Française, part of the Institut de France, was created by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635 and its first major task was to edit the definitive French dictionary; it's still not finished. The Académie is also charged with safeguarding the purity of the French language, making it a hive of debate about the ruinous impact of franglais terms like le weekend and email on the mother tongue. Election to its ranks, subject to approval by the French head of state, is the highest literary honor in the land; there can only be 40 "immortal" (lifelong) members at any one time.
- Open: Guided visits reserved for cultural associations only
- Metro: Pont Neuf
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