Iconic locations The Kings of France always had a foreign policy, but to begin with they handled it alone, directly with other sovereigns. They had diplomatic counsellors and set up temporary or permanent embassies. At the end of the 15th century, four secretaries of state shared correspondence with the provinces and abroad. The Secretariat of State and the commis On 1 January 1589, a new regulation gave exclusive responsibility for the "Department" of foreign affairs to one of these secretaries of state, Louis de Revol. He was the first incumbent of the Ministry; He used to go to see the King every day at five o’clock in the morning. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was therefore very close to the head of state, and when in the 18th century, power was concentrated in a "close cabinet" whose members carried the title of Minister of State, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs continued to be involved. To assist him, Revol had a "commis" and six clerks. A Secretariat of State was only set up in 1626. At the end of the century, Croissy, brother of Colbert, and his son Torcy were to create a structure with two and subsequently three offices with geographically separate responsibilities. In 1709, Torcy set up the archive depository. Subsequently, interpreters, the law consultant and the finance bureau appeared. On the eve of the Revolution, there were 39 commis in Foreign Affairs. These bureaucrats followed a slow and modest career and never went abroad. Ambassadors from the nobility or from among high ranking civil servants In the beginning, embassies were often headed by prelates, reflecting the importance of the Church. Over the years, the role became secular. Great lords that were rich and disinterested went and ruined themselves in the most prestigious posts such as London or Vienna. However, there were also a great many high ranking civil servants who specialised in Foreign Affairs and who eventually became great professional diplomats, like the Courtins or the Avaux. All these ambassadors had a substantial retinue including many cooks and equerries but few secretaries. Until the middle of the 18th century, they were all paid out of the personal purse of their head. Towards an organisation for diplomatic service and the Ministry The Revolution hardly had the time to change the old system. Napoleon decided to recruit diplomats from the Council of State advisors. Talleyrand organised a diplomatic service in which the separation between home and abroad continued. The Restoration provided the Ministry with a strong structure in which the equivocation between geographic and functional criteria could already be seen. In 1853, the Ministry moved to the Quai d’Orsay. Quai d’Orsay Ever since the mid-19th century, these premises have housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and this hasn’t changed for almost a century and a half... Diplomatic Archives at La Courneuve As the Parisian location of the Diplomatic Archives became less suitable, France decided to relocate part of the Ministry to Nantes in 1965, and to... La Convention site The Foreign Ministry bought the La Convention building and its two “pavilions” in 2007 and they were inaugurated in 2009, following refurbishment. Château de La Celle-Saint-Cloud Located in the town of La Celle-Saint-Cloud, this château belonged especially to the Marquise de Pompadour. Its last owner, Auguste Dutreux bequeathed it on February 7 1951 to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Schuman. A round-up of French cultural villas around the world and artists’ residency programmes All across the world, France’s villas for artist residencies host artists and researchers who carry out projects there relating to the host country. These artists’ residencies are essential mobility schemes for showcasing French artists, cultural dialogue and for the buoyancy of artistic...