The year is 1652 and Queen Anne of Austria is worried. Her eldest son, Louis XIV, is entering adolescence and is beginning to show the first signs of frigidity and lack of interest in the opposite sex that characterized his father, Louis XIII. The queen shares her concerns with her maid, Catherine Bellier, who decides to take action and teach the young king the facts of life.
Although Catherine was considered one of the ugliest women at the king's court and even had only one eye (hence her nickname "Catho the One-Eyed"), she succeeded in her work above and beyond expectations, and Louis XIV became a womanizer, who produced, in addition to one male heir, about ten bastards from various mistresses.
This is what will be done to the person who gave Louis XIV a sex education workshop
The happy queen showered Catherine with many gifts. First, she gave her husband a title of nobility, thus making the maid Catherine the Countess of Beauvais. Shortly afterwards, the queen bestowed France A considerable sum of money was given to Catherine to build herself a grand house in Paris and she was also granted the right to use the services of the king's chief architect and the stones that were intended for the expansion of the Louvre. This created the Hôtel de Beauvais, which can be found at 68 Rue François Miron in the heart of the fourth arrondissement of Paris. Catherine was also highly respected by the king, who insisted on passing by her palace in 1660 on his way to the Louvre with his new wife.
In the years following the royal event, Catherine continued to live at the Palais de Beauvais and was known for her long list of lovers, which is amazing in itself if we remember what she looked like (in fact, she was so ugly that not a single portrait of her remains. The closest thing to a portrait is a woman's head, which is in the palace and some claim was made based on her facial features). After Catherine's death, the place passed through several owners and in 1763 it was bought by an ambassador from Bavaria in France, who rented several rooms in this palace to Mozart and his family, during their tour of Paris in 1764. Today, the palace belongs to the French Court of Appeal and you cannot visit it inside, only its impressive courtyard. However, if you have already reached Rue François Miron, you can enjoy several more interesting houses.
What else can be found on Rue François Miron?
At 11 and 13 rue François Miron you will find two ancient houses from the 14th century, almost the only ones of their kind to have survived in Paris since the Middle Ages. Not far opposite, at number 30, you will find in the courtyard of the building the remains of a 16th century palace where Marie Touchet, the mistress of Charles IX, lived and who gave him his only son (if this son had been legitimate, then all of French history would have changed).
At number 44-46 are the remains of the embassy of the Chalis monastery, which was built in the Middle Ages and was a residence for monks from that monastery who visited Paris. You can visit the basement that contains the remains and then go up to the roof that contains a small courtyard from the late 16th century (the last time I was there the visit was free). Finally, at number 82 is the Hotel de Hanault from the 18th century, which now houses the “European Photography House”, a must-see for photography enthusiasts.
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