Hôtel de Beauvais

The Hotel de Beauvais holds a peculiar place in French history due to its original owner, Catherine Bellier. She served as the first lady to Queen Anne of Austria and held a position of significant influence in the seventeenth-century court. Legends suggest she played a private role in the upbringing of the young King Louis the Fourteenth, specifically regarding his introduction to intimacy. Her status allowed her to secure the prime real estate for this residence, which was built between sixteen fifty-six and sixteen sixty on the site of several demolished medieval houses.