THE MAIN COURTYARD
The monumental entrance to the main courtyard, with its carriage entrance or “porte cochère” in the shape of a triumphal arch, was designed by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin. The two lions, on each side of the entrance steps, are original to the building. They are in “pierre de Conflans” stone and were sculpted by François-Joseph Duret. When the building was commissioned for the Comte de Saint-Florentin, the stables were on the left and the kitchens were on the right.