MONUMENT

Institut de France

23 quai de Conti - 75006 Paris Musée d'Orsay - Saint-Germain-des-Prés

‘Protector of the arts, letters and sciences’ is the motto of the Institut de France! Facing the Louvre Museum, it is housed in one of the capital's most beautiful buildings: the former Collège des Quatre-Nations, founded between 1662 and 1688 by Cardinal Mazarin. Since 1795, it has been home to five academies: the Académie française, the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, the Académie des sciences, the Académie des beaux-arts and the Académie des sciences morales et politiques. It is also home to the Mazarine Library, the oldest public library in France, which is open to readers and visitors. The Institut de France also ensures the influence of prestigious museum foundations: Château de Chantilly, Musée Jacquemart-André, Royal Abbey of Chaalis, etc.

Did you know?
A member of the Institut de France designed the first Olympic medal of the modern era: the medal engraver Jules-Clément Chaplain, born in 1839. This medal depicts the Acropolis of Athens on one side and the portrait of Zeus holding the Greek goddess of victory Niké in his hand on the other. These medals are produced by the Monnaie de Paris.

Opening times and prices

More info on free tickets:

La Coupole is open for free access every Saturday from 10am to 6pm. The Palais de l'Institut de France in its entirety can only be visited on the occasion of the European Heritage Days, the third weekend of September.

More info on guided tours:

The Bibliothèque Mazarine offers free guided tours for individual visitors (generally towards the end of the day). Book a tour on the website: www.bibliotheque-mazarine.fr - email : [email protected] - Tel : +33 (0) 1 44 41 44 06

More info on rates:

La Coupole is open for free access every Saturday from 10am to 6pm. The Palais de l'Institut de France in its entirety can only be visited on the occasion of the European Heritage Days, the third weekend of September.

More info about group visits:

The Palais de l'Institut is open to visitors on the 2nd Sunday of each month (excluding school holidays), for groups of up to 30 people, supervised by a lecturer.
Group tours of the Mazarine Library can be arranged. Contact the library by email: [email protected]

More info on opening times:

La Coupole is open for free access every Saturday from 10am to 6pm. The Palais de l'Institut de France in its entirety can only be visited on the occasion of the European Heritage Days, the third weekend of September. The rest of the time, visitors admire its facade from the beautiful Place de l'Institut and enjoy a panoramic view of the Louvre Museum, located on the other side of the Seine. The Mazarine Library is open to readers and visitors from Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm.