Office de Tourisme de Clichy la Garenne

 In 1697, the house was bought by Françoise Moreau from the Royal Academy of Music, and fitted out between 1699 and 1702 by her lover, Philippe de Vendôme, grandson of the Duke of Vendôme, the illegitimate son of Henri IV. At that time he was Grand Prior of France in the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem.

In 1720 the residence was sold to Prince Conti Louis Armand de Bourbon and underwent further work to become a sumptuous hunting lodge.

After a number of alterations due to the building of Rue Martre in 1861, in the early 20th century, the lodge housed charitable enterprises. It was the birthplace of the French Young Christian Workers movement (Jeunesse ouvrière chrétienne - JOC) in the 1920s.

The Lodge stands between a courtyard and garden. The central section was flanked by a wing on either side; the kitchen wing on the left and a wing on the right comprising a ground floor gallery. This wing was demolished in 1861 when Rue Martre was built.

The Pavillon and grounds were listed as a Historic Monuments in 1983 and bought by the town of Clichy in 1989.

The historic monument listing applies to the facades and roofs, the reception room, grand staircase, courtyard and monumental gate.

The original quality of the reception room and its decor, a large part of which has been preserved, is worthy of the most sumptuous achievements of Louis XIV’s reign. The edifice was probably built by the young Jules Hardouin Mansart, first architect to the king, and fitted out by him for Philippe de Vendôme, Louis XIV’s cousin. The greatest artists of the day worked there at the same time as on Versailles. These included the painter Claude III Audran: his painting on the ceiling in the house’s reception room is the only remaining one of its kind in France. All of this makes this residence a grand princely home.

The Pavillon Vendôme is currently being restored. At the end of 2012 it will become the home to an arts centre to encourage the development of contemporary art in the town, with some 300 m² of exhibition rooms as well as outdoor areas in the grand courtyard and garden. It will also house the town’s crystal and ceramics collections (Maës, Grittel, etc.) as well as other collections relating to its industrial heritage.