Luxembourg Palace

The Palais du Luxembourg is a palace in Paris's 6th arrondissement and has housed the French Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, since 1800. It was built from 1615 by Salomon de Brosse for Marie de Medici, the widow of Henri IV, who modeled her new residence on the Palazzo Pitti in Florence; the rusticated ground floor is a direct quotation. For the interior Peter Paul Rubens painted the Medici Cycle of 24 large-scale canvases, today displayed in the Louvre. During the Revolution the palace became state property and briefly served as a prison, then as seat of the Directoire and finally of the Senate. The adjoining Jardin du Luxembourg is one of the most popular parks in Paris, with fountains, a petanque area and a marionette theatre for children.