The history of our hotel begins just down the steps in the breakfast room.
  
In the 17th century, the convent of the Daughters of the Immaculate Conception was situated between rue Royale and rue Cambon. This convent was the property of Théodore de Nesmond, President of Parliament, who bequeathed it in 1637 to the nuns as the dowry of his daughter, Olive, when she took her vows to join the order. The convent closed in 1790.
  
In 1807, two new streets, rue Duphot and rue Richepanse (now rue du Chevalier de Saint George), were built across the site of the convent, leaving only the cellars intact, and it is in this historic room dating from the beginning of the 17th century that we serve our breakfasts!

But that's not all ...
Later, towards the end of the 19th century, in the 1880s, a very distinguished guest, the Russian composer Piotr Tchaikovski stayed for several long periods at the hotel, which was then called the Hotel Richepanse.
  
  
Here are some extracts of letters that he wrote at the hotel:
  
“January 3-15, 1883
 My dear Nicolacha,
Richepanse is written with an s. The Hotel Richepanse is very clean and charming (…). Today I am going to settle in and from tomorrow onwards, I shall start work.”
  
“April 28-May 10, 1883,
Dear Levouchka,
I shall leave in a week’s time and you should continue to send the letters to the Hotel Richepanse, and to Mr Belard’s personal attention if they contain any money. He is the hotel’s owner. He is a very kind elderly man who likes me, my brother Modeste too and who takes care of Tania”.
  
“February 22, 1884,
Yesterday evening, I arrived in Paris. Mr & Mrs Belard were pleased to see me and were happy to tell me that room 21 was free. This room evokes both happy and sad things. There is so much emotion here, I have written so many sheets of music, used so much ink …”
  
“Dear Panichka,
After 2 days in Berlin, I came on to Paris where I stayed at the Richepanse, in the same room where I spent 5 months last year ….”
  
“March 22, 1889
Modeste,
Paris is really wonderful and I feel completely at home here. Mr & Mrs Belard were pleased to see me. I am on the first floor since n° 21 is already taken. I am spending far too much money. I have ordered a lot of clothes from Tremblet and two suits from Nicolas. I am rather ashamed of spending so much but my clothing is worn. I eat out in smart restaurants. I have spent two evenings at the theatre, first at the Gymnase (…). Yesterday, I went to the Opera House and saw a wonderful interpretation of Hamlet. (…) Tomorrow I am going to the Comédie Française. They are playing “Le gendre de M Poirier » and “The Game of Love and Chance (Les jeux de l’amour et du hasard)”. Generally speaking, theatres are very interesting places. I think I will go out to the theatre more or less every evening, even though it is quite tiring. I will stay another week here. Oh, how I love Paris!”
  
“April 12, 1889,
To Jurgenson,
Mrs Belard is probably going to increase the rates, but I would still advise you to stay there. I have already spoken to her about you.”

Why “Richepanse”?
  
In 1806 and as a tribute to his great army, Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the construction of La Madeleine church. A year later, 2 new streets were built nearby, and were named after two of Napoleon’s generals, rue Duphot and rue Richepanse (which later became rue du Chevalier de Saint-George).
  
The hotel was named after the street.
  
Why the present day street name of Chevalier de Saint George?
  
The Chevalier de Saint George (1745-1799) was born on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, the mulatto son of a slave mother and a noble father. He became a great French composer, one of the most important figures in the Paris musical scene in the second half of the 18th century, known as the Black Mozart. At one time, he was close to Marie-Antoinette (who was guillotined in 1793 on Place de la Concorde).
  
On May 20, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte re-established slavery in the French West Indies and on the same day had the entire works of the Chevalier de Saint-George burnt, since as a public figure he represented freedom from slavery. With the enforcement of racial laws and the destruction of his, Saint-George fell into total oblivion.
  
In 2002, the mayor of Paris paid homage to the Chevalier de Saint-George by using his name to rename rue Richepanse.