Pavillon Vendôme

The Pavillon Vendôme is a refined seventeenth-century pleasure house that once served as a clandestine retreat for the aristocracy. It was purchased in 1697 by Philippe de Vendôme, a prince of the blood and Grand Prior of France, specifically to house his mistress, the celebrated singer and dancer Françoise Moreau. To ensure his lover lived in appropriate splendor, the prince commissioned some of the era's most prestigious artisans to decorate the interiors, including artists who were simultaneously working on the royal projects at Versailles.