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Paris - La colline de Chaillot
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The hill of Chaillot was formerly the site of a convent of Visitandine Nuns founded there in 1651 by Queen Henrietta Maria (wife of King Charles I). King James II and VII and his wife Queen Mary Beatrice were frequent visitors to the convent. The convent was torn down to accommodate the palace that Napoleon Bonaparte planned to build for his son. Today the Palais de Chaillot (built for the 1937 International Exposition) stands on the site. A week after the death of King James II and VII, his son King James III and VIII brought his father's heart to the convent. 1 It was placed in the tribune where the heart of James II's mother Queen Henrietta Maria had been placed after her death in 1669. When Queen Mary Beatrice died in 1718 her body was brought here. All of these mortal remains were lost during the French Revolution. The coffin plate of Queen Mary Beatrice is now in the British Museum. 2 Notes 1 The Memoirs of King James II: Containing an Account of the Transactions of the Last Twelve Years of His Life, with the Circumstances of his Death. (London, 1702), 54. 2 Carola Oman, Mary of Modena (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1962), 255. |
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This page is maintained by Noel S. McFerran (noel.mcferran@rogers.com) and was last updated April 19, 2008. © Noel S. McFerran 2002-2008. |