Paris - Cluny Museum Musée National du Moyen Age-Thermes de Cluny

Must-see attractions nearby: Eiffel Tower Montmartre Notre-Dame de Paris Musée d'Orsay Champs-Elysées Luxembourg Gardens Louvre

The Hôtel de Cluny was then built between 1485 and 1510 under the direction of Abbot Jacques d'Amboise. This house, in the Flamboyant style of the Late Gothic period, and the Hôtel de Sens in the Marais are the only late medieval aristocratic mansions surviving in Paris. After frequent changes of ownership from the medieval period onwards it fell into disrepair after the French Revolution. It was acquired in 1833 by the art collector and antiquary Alexandre du Sommerard and in 1842 by the State. It has been a museum since 1844.

The Musée de Cluny has a magnificent collection of medieval art, the nucleus of which was Alexandre du Sommerard's private collection. In the Cour d'Honneur (courtyard) the charm of this building, reflecting the period of transition from Late Gothic to Renaissance style, is revealed in all its splendor. The beautiful fountain dates from the 15th century.