Hôtel de Beauvais

The Hotel de Beauvais stands out because of its curved, convex facade that perfectly follows the bend of the rue Francois Miron. Catherine Bellier, the first mistress of King Louis the Fourteenth, commissioned this house in sixteen fifty-four. She used the payments she received for introducing the young monarch to the mysteries of love to fund its construction. Her secret passage to the royal residence at the Louvre allowed her to maintain influence over the king long after their affair ended.