Institut de France
Cardinal Mazarin (reign of Louis XIII) willed part of his fortune to build the "College of the Four Nations". The architecture is signed by Louis Le Vau, also responsible for Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, and parts of the Louvre and Versailles.

The Institute houses five Academies, the most notorious being the "Académie Française" (created by Richelieu) which watches over the French language, ie: validates which new words enter the dictionary, etc.

The Institute (as an institution) was created in 1795 during the French Revolution to replace the former Royal Academies. Ten years later, Napoleon transferred the location from the Louvre to the "College of the Four Nations".

Pictures show the cupola, a statue of Emperor Napoleon, and the Richelieu meeting room where the "Académiciens" also known as the "Immortals" gather. The famous traditional outfit they wear and sword they carry were decided by Napoleon: an army that thought with their minds !

The grand meeting room where great figures of art and literature like Molière, La Fontaine, Racine and Corneille are depicted in painting or sculpture. The portrait of the great Jacques-Louis David also caught my eye!

David was the most preeminent artist during the Revolution and the Empire. His artistic involvement showed his political views. As a result, he had to leave France when the monarchy was restored after the fall of the Empire...