Royal Palace

The Royal Palace (Palais Royal in French) is a palace with gardens located north of the Louvre Museum in Paris. Originally it was called Palais Cardinal was erected by order of Cardinal Richelieu. Despite its name, kings never resided here. Its construction was commissioned by Cardinal Richelieu to the architect Jacques Lemercier. Construction work began in 1624 on the Hôtel de Rambouillet. The building was then known as Palais Cardinal (the palace of Cardinal). Richelieu had the painter Philippe de Champaigne come to decorate, and ended up bequeathing the palace to the French crown. After the death of Louis XIII, it became the home of the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria, Cardinal Mazarin and the young Louis XIV.