What role does Luxembourg Palace serve today?

The building houses the French Senate, serving as the seat of the upper legislative house.

Who commissioned the construction of Luxembourg Palace?

Marie de' Medici commissioned the building as a royal residence after the death of the king.

Which architect designed the original palace?

Salomon de Brosse designed the palace for Marie de' Medici.

Which foreign landmark inspired the design of the palace?

Marie de' Medici based the design on Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

Where can visitors view the Rubens paintings made for the palace?

The paintings created by Peter Paul Rubens are preserved and displayed in the Louvre.

What is the adjacent Petit Luxembourg used for?

The Petit Luxembourg serves as the residence of the president of the French Senate.

Paris · France

Luxembourg Palace: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Neighbours on Rue de Vaugirard share their street with the upper house of the national legislature.

Luxembourg Palace · CC BY-SA 4.0

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avenue des Champs-Élysées≈ 40 min Eiffel Tower≈ 40 min Arc de Triomphe≈ 55 min

About the place

Salomon de Brosse designed the Luxembourg Palace as a royal residence that now houses the French Senate.

Regent Marie de' Medici commissioned the building to recreate the atmosphere of Palazzo Pitti from her native Florence, sending an architect south to draw the original stonework. Salomon de Brosse handled the initial construction beside the older residence of the Duke of Luxembourg. Jean-François Chalgrin later remodeled the complex into a parliamentary hall, which Alphonse de Gisors subsequently expanded for legislative debate.

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None of the earliest residential interiors survive intact today apart from reassembled architectural fragments inside the Salle du Livre d'Or. The monumental cycle of narrative paintings by Peter Paul Rubens that once filled the western wing now hangs inside the Louvre. Meanwhile, the neighboring Petit Luxembourg houses the president of the Senate, maintaining active political leadership on the edge of the gardens.

Associations

French SenateThe upper house of parliament conducts legislative work in the main chambers.
Marie de' MediciThe royal regent ordered the building to evoke the palazzo architecture of Florence.
Rubens cycleCanvases painted for the western wing are now preserved in the Louvre collection.
Parliamentary securityWorking legislative sessions restrict public movement around the palace exterior.

Facts

Salomon de Brosse designed the palace to serve as the private residence of Marie de' Medici.
The building houses the Senate of the French Republic.
The adjacent Petit Luxembourg functions as the official residence for the president of the Senate.
Paintings commissioned from Peter Paul Rubens for the palace gallery are preserved in the Louvre.

Updated September 10, 2026Source: Wikipedia

Luxembourg Palace: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

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Salomon de Brosse designed the Luxembourg Palace as a royal residence that now houses the French Senate.

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