Musée des Archives Nationales

The Musée des Archives Nationales (French pronunciation: [myze dez‿aʁʃiv nɑsjɔnal]), formerly known as the Musée de l'Histoire de France (pronounced [myze d(ə) listwaʁ də fʁɑ̃s] ⓘ), is a state museum of French history operated by the Archives Nationales.

The museum features exhibitions drawn from the collections of the government archives and aims to provide document-based perspective on France’s history and the evolution of French society.

Léon de Laborde, an archeologist and prolific author documenting artists, museum collections, and French history, served as the General Director of the Empire Archives from March 1857 to April 1868.

[2] The museum officially opened on July 19, 1867, after de Laborde spent years collecting and selecting documents, then developing a classification and numbering system.

The Hôtels de Soubise and de Rohan have exterior architecture in the Baroque style, with rooms throughout in the Rococo style, including the Chambre du prince, Salon ovale du prince, Chambre d'apparat de la princesse, an amusing Cabinet des singes (Monkey Cabinet), and the fine Salon ovale de la princesse with featuring gilt and crystal decor and ceiling frescoes by François Boucher, Charles-Joseph Natoire, and Carle Van Loo (see image).

Archives nationales, Hôtel de Soubise
After undergoing centuries of renovation, this turret from the 14th century is the only remaining piece of the Hôtel de Clisson which served as the beginning for the Hôtel de Soubise. It now houses the Musée des Archives Nationales. [ 2 ]
One of the oldest records in the Archives nationales : parchment dated December 23, 695. King Childebert III rules that the land of Hodenc-l'Évêque ( Oise ) belongs to the Abbey of Saint-Denis .
A letter from King Henry III of England to King Louis IX of France dated 16 October, 1263.
An image of the Salon ovale de la princesse in the Hôtel de Soubise.