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| Cour des Comptes |
Location: Corner Rue du Mont-Thabor and Rue Cambon
English Translation
Organised since 1320 as a sovereign court independent of Parliament, the Chambre des Comptes sat in the Palais de Justice until a fire on October 27, 1737 destroyed the architectural jewel built in 1504 to the designs of Fra Giovanni Giacondo. Gabriel built a new building in its place in 1740. The Cour des Comptes, created on September 16, 1807, replaced the Chambre de Comptes, and left Gabriel's building on April 18, 1842 to move to the Palais d'Orsay, which was burnt down by the Commune in May 1871. The councillors then retreated to the Montpensier wing of the Palais-Royal, which soon became too cramped, and the architect Moyaux began construction of the current building in 1899. (Translated by DeepL and ChatGPT)
Background notes
- The Chambre des Comptes was a sovereign court in France responsible for financial administration and auditing. Established as an independent institution in 1320, separate from the Parliament, it oversaw the realm's finances, conducted annual audits of the king's financial agents and managed the administration of the royal domain. With its roots dating back to medieval times, it handled all litigation on the king’s accounts and was the court of final appeal in these matters, with only the king able to overturn its decisions.
- Gabriel refers to Ange-Jacques Gabriel, a French architect who built a new building within the Palais de Justice for the Chambre des Comptes in 1740 after the fire of 1737.
- The Chambre des Comptes was abolished in 1791 during the French Revolution. It was part of the sweeping dismantling of the ancien régime institutions, with some of its responsibilities redistributed to other revolutionary or provisional financial bodies.
- On September 16, 1807, Napoleon created a modernised version of the Chambre des Comptes, the Cour des Comptes. This change modernised the financial audit system, but the core functions remained similar to its predecessor's.
- In 1842, the Cour des Comptes moved from Gabriel's building in the Palais de Justice to the Palais d'Orsay, likely due to space constraints or modernisation needs.
- The Palais d'Orsay was the location of the Cour des Comptes from 1842 to 1871. It was burnt down during the Paris Commune in May 1871. The Commune was a revolutionary government that briefly ruled Paris in 1871.
- After the fire, the Cour des Comptes temporarily moved to the Montpensier wing of the Palais-Royal. From here, in 1912 it moved to a new building, the Palais Cambon, designed by Constant Moyaux. Construction on the Palais Cambon began in 1899, on the site of the former convent of Les Dames de l'Assomption (whose chapel remains next door - see plaque #25).
- The Palais Cambon features a grand façade and an interior organised around a central courtyard. It includes signficant rooms such as the Grand'chambre and the library, as well as the former Archives Tower (which now provides office accommodation). The tower, an integral part of the Palais Cambon, is considered Paris's first high-rise building, and was originally designed to securely house the extensive archives of the Cour des Comptes. Remarkably, this fireproof vertical structure, with 10 levels and over 30 metres high, is hidden from public view, visible only from within the Palais Cambon itself.
- After over a century, the Cour des Comptes is still located in the Palais Cambon. While its core function of auditing public finances remains, the Cour des Comptes has evolved to include good governance audits and providing information and advice to the French Parliament and Administration.
- The Palais Cambon, home to the Cour des Comptes, is typically open to the public during European Heritage Days.
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| The Archives Tower within the Palais Cambon |