A Place of History, Passion, and Bloodshed — Welcome to the Hôtel de Sens
Built between 1475 and 1519 for the Archdiocese of Sens, under the orders of Archbishop Tristan de Salazar, the Hôtel de Sens is a medieval gem in the heart of Paris. Today, it houses the Forney Library, dedicated to decorative arts, design, fashion, and craftsmanship.
But behind its noble stones lie much darker stories. Marguerite de Valois, the famous Queen Margot, lived here for a year at the center of a tragic tale: in 1606, her 18-year-old lover was shot dead in front of the entrance by his 20-year-old rival. A few days later, Marguerite, cold and composed, witnessed the execution of the murderer from a palace window.
Today, the Hôtel de Sens remains one of the few medieval civic buildings still standing in Paris, a preserved fragment of the past despite the city’s sweeping urban transformations.
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