Musée Carnavalet, Paris

Carnavalet is a garbled form of the name of the former owner of the house, the widow of the Sire de Kernevenoy, a Breton. The house was built in the 16th century, probably by Pierre Lescot, the architect responsible for the Renaissance facade of the Louvre. The main doorway, with carvings of lions by Jean Goujon, and the range of buildings facing the entrance date from the 16th century. The other wings round the courtyard, in the center of which is a fine statue of Louis XIV (by Antoine Coysevox, 1698), were remodelled by François Mansart in the 17th century. The Hôtel de Carnavalet was occupied from 1677 to 1696 by Madame de Sévigné, whose letters to her daughter, over 1,500 in number, describing life in Paris and at the court in Versailles are valuable documents on the age of the Sun King.