Hôtel Bretonvilliers:

Built between the years 1637 and 1643, the Hôtel Bretonvilliers was one of the first important townhouses to appear on the Ile-Notre-Dame. It's architect, Jean Androuet du Cerceau, served the king and is also known for his work on a nearby project the Hôtel de Sully just across the river on the right bank.

The building's patron from whom the hotel draws its name was Claude le Ragois de Bretonvilliers, who acquired the plot of land by the year 1635 through a series of purchases. This mansion occupied the best plot, and naturally benefited from the best view, on the island: the eastern tip where the Seine separates and surrounds the island in two branches. Perhaps its most impressive feature was its large, manicured garden in the French classical style from which this sight could be observed.

The Hôtel Bretonvilliers was perhaps the most magnificent mansion constructed on the island. It is, therefore, also one of its most tragic losses. After 1711 the Bretonvilliers family no longer inhabited the townhouse and the property changed hands numerous times. Most of the artwork was either transported elsewhere or sold. Conservation was neglected, and by the 19th century, the building was in a severe state of disrepair.

In 1840 destruction began. The construction of the boulevard Henri IV in 1866 as well as that of the Pont de Sully and Barye Square in 1874 marked the complete disappearance of the famous Bretonvilliers estate. Sadly, all that remains today of this former treasure are its cellars, a patch of its gardens in Barye Square, and its memory.