Palais de l'Institut et Hôtel des Monnaies, 1877

The Palais de l'Institut, located on the left bank overlooking the Seine, was originally built at the request of Cardinal Mazarin, though he never lived to see it. He wanted a building that would house a Collège for men from Artois, Alsace, Pignerol, and Roussillon. The school was thus named the the Collège des Quatre-Nations (The School of Four Nations). Eventually, the Institute of France, which includes the Académie Française, took residence in the Palais. At the time of the Revolution, the Institute was disbanded, but eventually returned to the Palais, where it is still housed today.