350 years of History at the Hotel St. Louis in Autun,
Bourgogne, France
Origins 1655 - Maison de Maître property of Maître Nicolas Debard, Advocate.
Convent 1655 - Maître Debard sells the Mansion to the religious order of Prieuré
de Saint-Julien sur Dheune.
Le Roi Soleil 1673 - King Louis XIV better known as the Sun King, the creator of Versailles issued written orders for the Sisters to join the nuns of Abbey of Rougement, near Dijon.
Mayor of Autun 1731 - The Mayor of Autun Nicolas-Jean Barrault
exchanged contracts to buy the Convent from the Abbesse de Saint-Julien,
Françoise-Eléonore Rabutin at a price of 6,000 livres on behalf of the town.
Royal Mail The
former Convent became successively an Orphanage, Coaching Inn with shops and
what are now the garages served as public stables.
Hotel Saint Louis
King Louis IX 1744 - The Coaching Inn is renamed HOTEL SAINT
LOUIS on the specific instructions of the reigning King of France, Louis XV to
commemorate King Louis IX of France who was canonised in 1297.
Napoleon and
Joseph Bonaparte Napoleon
and his brother Joseph were educated at the elite Grammar School founded in
1709 by the Jesuits and now known as Lycée Bonaparte.
The Emperor Napoleon
And his wife The
Empress Josephine During
the reign of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, a luxury Suite was installed at
the Hotel St. Louis with two separate imperial mahogany beds to accommodate His
Majesty as and when required. Recorded stays at the Hotel include those of
1802
The Emperor heading towards Lyon, where he had
summoned the five hundred members of the Italian Parliament, stayed at the
Hotel St. Louis with his wife the Empress Josephine. They were received by the
Town Council before taking supper in the restaurant of the Hotel.
1805
Travelling from Paris to Milan, the Emperor stayed
again at the Hotel.
1806
Napoleon, returning from Turin stayed again in his
Suite at the Hotel.
1815
After
having left Elba, Napoleon arrived at the Hotel St. Louis. From his Suite he
summoned the Town Council and Mayor to dismiss them from their posts. He
reproached them by saying:
“France is unhappy, France
has called me back and you want to
oppose it”.
At that moment an Officer of the Guard entered the
Napoleon Suite; proclaiming the support of Field Marshall Ney and his Army
Corps. Napoleon thereafter requested the printer of Autun to enter and handed
him a large number of decrees to be printed.
The
Suite Napoleon Most of the
Furniture of the Suite is original, in particular the two separate mahogany
beds of the Imperial couple. The integrity of the Suite has been carefully
restored by experts from the Lycée Bonaparte in Autun.
The Duke
Of Orleans 1832 His Royal Highness the Duke of Orleans
stayed at the Hotel St. Louis in the Napoleon Suite. Following a visit to the
Rolin Museum, he received the Town Council and Military Officers of Autun and
hosted a dinner in the restaurant for 50 guests.
George Sand 1836 The famous writer George Sand stayed at
the Hotel St. Louis with her two children. In a riposte some months later she
expressed her indignation at being slighted by insensitive comments made by the
Aristocracy of Autun.
HRH the Queen
Christine
of Portugal 1841 Her Royal Highness Queen Christine of
Portugal stayed at the Hotel St. Louis on her stopover in Autun while on the
way to Paris. The next day she attended mass and was greeted by the Governor
and the Mayor. She was accompanied by a treasurer, two secretaries, a doctor
and a Lady-in-Waiting.
Le Comte de
Paris 1873 Yet another visit at the Hotel St. Louis
by a Prince of Royal blood, Monseigneur le Comte de Paris, accompanied by one
of his friends stayed overnight in the Suite Napoleon visiting the Cathedral
the following day.
Paris-Nice
Guide Michelin 1900-2000 The
Hotel St. Louis celebrates yet another century. The first Guide Michelin in
1900 recommends the Hotel Restaurant St. Louis for overnight accommodation on the famous Paris-Nice road that attracted
motorists from all over the world. This old Napoleonic road is still today an enjoyable
route away from the monotony and boredom of modern motorways.
Grand Hotel
St. Louis 1906 The new owner of the Hotel St. Louis
updates its decor and facilities and it is renamed Grand Hotel in keeping with
its luxurious amenities.
SIEGEL glass Vitrines The 9
exclusive SIEGEL glass display cabinets which adorn the Hotel are unique and
date from the 1920s.
Only
the Hotel Crillon in Paris has 4 of the same cabinets.
Wine Cellars The
wine cellars of the Hotel date back to before the Hotel was built in 1655 and
could possibly be of Gallic-Roman-Medieval origin according to recent research
by the Town Architect.
Garage ceiling The
garage of the Hotel is also quite unique in that it is adorned with publicity
of local traders from the 1920s.
Complete
Renovation 1997 The Hotel Restaurant Bar St. Louis is
completely renovated and modernised with en suite bathrooms, direct dial room
telephones and Internet connections. State of the art fire and security systems
and easily accessible external access staircases are installed to supplement the
large marble staircase in the Hall. To retain the historic authenticity
of
the overall architecture it was decided not to install an elevator as in any
case the Hotel is built over only two floors.
Four Star Hotel 1997 Renovated in the tradition of its 350
years of age the Hotel is re-opened as a Four Star Hotel.
Restaurant frescos 1997 The owner commissioned a famous Mexican
Artist Painter to design and paint unique ceiling frescos in the Dining Room.
It took six months of full-time work to complete. The artist is well renowned
for his work in European Cathedrals.
Hotel de Charme 2003 The new owner repositions the Saint Louis
as a Hotel de Charme while retaining the elegance, ambiance and style of its
previous owner.
Felix Leisinger
EQUAL EARTH 2005 The founder of the worldwide Equal Earth
Philosophy Felix Leisinger takes over the Hotel Restaurant St. Louis. You are
welcome to inform yourself about the Equal Earth Philosophy and how to save the
planet by looking up his website www.equalearth.org
Non-Smoking
Hotel Felix
Leisinger declares the Hotel Restaurant and Bar St. Louis a non-smoking zone.
Since 1991 the French Evin Law prohibits smoking in public places. Regrettably
there are always some people who ignore
the law despite the fact that they know that tobacco endangers the health of
smokers as much as non-smokers. Moreover the tobacco plantations could be used
to grow wheat or rice for the starving in the world. Unfortunately tobacco is
so toxic for the soil that it takes more than 30 years of recuperation until
food can safely be grown in the same soil. To reduce this real danger for the
health of all, Felix Leisinger requests that his Guests respect the law, their
health and the health of everybody else.
Today Today
the Hotel St. Louis in the heart of Autun in the centre of Burgundy in France
offers 38 large rooms of which 10 “Napoleon” Suites including the elegant,
private Imperial Suite where the Emperor personally stayed on many occasions. All
the rooms have been fully modernised with bathrooms/showers and WC. Direct Dial
Telephones with Internet connection have been installed in every room. There is
private parking. The gourmet restaurant and its fine Burgundy wines, the Bar
Americain and its cocktails and apéritifs, the function room, the Terrasse and
peaceful surroundings as much as the ambiance, elegance and charm of its
prestigious past invite you to an enjoyable stay in this historic Hotel.
HOTEL RESTAURANT BAR SAINT LOUIS ET DE LA POSTE
6 rue de l’Arbalète, 71400 Autun, Bourgogne, France
E-mail : reservation@hotelsaintlouis.net www.hotelsaintlouis.net