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39-659: The Petit Luxembourg ( pronounced [pəti lyksɑ̃buʁ] ; "Little Luxembourg") is an hôtel particulier and the official residence of the President of the French Senate . It is located at 17–17 bis, Rue de Vaugirard , just west of the Luxembourg Palace , which serves as the seat of the Senate, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris . Originally built around 1550 to the designs of an unknown architect, it

78-665: A first under the Fifth Republic , marking "a form of strengthening of the Senate". Bicameralism was first introduced in France amid the French Revolution in 1795 ; as in many countries, it assigned the upper chamber with the role of moderating the lower, although for a long time as an ally of the executive . The present selection mode of the Senate dates back to the start of the Third Republic , when it

117-636: A higher income, capital and land possession compared to general voters. As an indirectly elected house, the Senate is often criticised by political parties such as La France Insoumise on the left and the National Rally on the right as not being sufficiently popularly representative. Although both La France Insoumise and the National Rally enjoy significant representation in the National Assembly, they are far less represented in

156-619: A new wing for the Palatine officers. The new wing preserved the style of the old corps de logis to the east and incorporated vestiges of the Couvent des Filles-du-Calvaire , founded by Marie de Médicis in 1622. These can still be seen in the winter garden and the Mannerist interior of the Queen's Chapel. Between the street and the courtyard Boffrand added an entrance screen which connected

195-465: A regular rhythm." The focus of the décor was high in the spandrels between the arches, not in the wall panels as seen with Lepautre. This principle, first employed by J. H. Mansart at the Grand Trianon , kept the main part of the wall surface free for hangings, such as tapestries and paintings. The band of ornate spandrels running around the room achieves a unity, which is further emphasized by

234-521: A result of its election relying on what is often summed up as rural mayors, it has had a right-wing majority since 1958, with only a three-year exception in 2011–2014. The President of the Senate is to step in as acting President of France in case of an incapacitation or a vacancy, which last happened in 1974. The officeholder also appoints three members of the Constitutional Council . Since 2014, Gérard Larcher has been President of

273-652: Is especially noted for the surviving Rococo interiors designed in 1710–1713 by the French architect Germain Boffrand . Further west, at 19 rue de Vaugirard, is the Musée du Luxembourg . The original sixteenth-century building is of obscure origin, but became known as the Hôtel de Luxembourg after its acquisition in 1570 by François de Luxembourg , who in 1581 became Duc de Piney , Pair de France . Marie de Médicis purchased

312-524: Is limited. As was the case in the Fourth Republic's constitution, new cabinets do not have to receive a vote of confidence. Also, a vote of censure can occur only after 10 per cent of the members sign a petition; if rejected, those members that signed cannot sign another petition until that session of Parliament has ended. If the petition gets the required support, a vote of censure must gain an absolute majority of all members, not just those voting. If

351-470: Is one which is perforated. The spandrel of doors is sometimes ornamented in the Decorated period , but seldom forms part of the composition of the doorway itself, being generally over the label. Spandrels can also occur in the construction of domes and are typical in grand architecture from the medieval period onwards. Where a dome needed to rest on a square or rectangular base, the dome was raised above

390-713: Is the upper house of the French Parliament , with the lower house being the National Assembly , the two houses constituting the legislature of France . It is made up of 348 senators ( sénateurs and sénatrices ) elected by part of the country's local councillors in indirect elections . Senators have six-year terms, with half of the seats up for election every three years. They represent France's departments (328), overseas collectivities (8) and citizens abroad (12). Senators' mode of election varies upon their constituency's population size: in

429-404: Is typically employed when there is a sculpted panel or other decorative element in this space, or when the space between the windows is filled with opaque or translucent glass, in this case called "spandrel glass". In concrete or steel construction, an exterior beam extending from column to column usually carrying an exterior wall load is known as a "spandrel beam". In architectural ornamentation,

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468-518: The Government relies: in case of disagreement, the Assembly can in many cases have the last word, although the Senate keeps a role in some key procedures, such as constitutional amendments . However, following the 2024 snap legislative election and the ensuing political fragmentation in the Assembly, the newly-appointed Barnier government holds a majority in the Senate but not in the Assembly,

507-630: The National Assembly . The left, led by the Socialist Party, gained control of the Senate for the first time since 1958 during the 2011 election , leading to the election of Jean-Pierre Bel at its presidency. This proved a short-lived win, as the right, led by the Union for a Popular Movement , regained the Senate three years later. The Senate has a larger share of citizens (especially of local descent, compared to non-citizens) among its voters compared to other institutions. Also, Senate voters have

546-548: The hôtel in 1612 when she began acquiring property for the construction of the adjacent Luxembourg Palace. The old hôtel soon became known as the Petit Luxembourg to distinguish it from the larger building. In 1627 Marie de Médicis gave the Petit Luxembourg to Cardinal de Richelieu , who occupied it while his own grand palace, the Palais-Cardinal , was constructed on the rue Saint-Honoré . Richelieu left

585-494: The Assembly and the Senate have politically distinct majorities, the Assembly will in most cases prevail; open conflict between the two houses is uncommon. As per article 24 of the Constitution, the Senate is the representative of the territories and defends the local elected officials. The Senate also serves to monitor the administration's actions by publishing many reports each year on various topics. Until September 2004,

624-403: The National Assembly. However, 90% of the electors are delegates appointed by councillors. This system introduces a bias in the composition of the Senate favoring rural areas. As a consequence, while the political majority changes frequently in the National Assembly, the Senate has remained politically right, with one brief exception (2011–2014), since the foundation of the Fifth Republic , much to

663-522: The Petit Luxembourg to his niece, the Duchess of Aiguillon . It was inherited in turn by the Grand Condé , who left it to his son, Henri Jules de Bourbon-Condé . The latter's widow, Anne of Bavaria, Princess Palatine , engaged the architect Germain Boffrand to enlarge and redecorate it between 1710 and 1713. Boffrand demolished the service buildings to the west of the courtyard, replacing them with

702-643: The Petit Luxembourg was the assigned residence of the Count of Provence (the future Louis XVIII of France ) and his wife. Under Napoleon, the Conseil d'État (Council of State) was seated at the Petit Luxembourg from 25 December 1799. Since 1958, the Petit Luxembourg has been the official residence of the president of the French Senate . Senate (France) 48°50′54″N 2°20′14″E  /  48.84833°N 2.33722°E  / 48.84833; 2.33722 The Senate ( French : Sénat , [sena] )

741-404: The Senate had 321 members, each elected to serve for a nine-year term. In that month, the term was reduced to six years, while – to reflect a growth in the country's population – the number of senators was set to increase progressively, to reach 348 by 2011. Senators had been elected in thirds every three years; this was also changed to one half of their number every three years. The president of

780-694: The Senate is elected by senators from among their members. The current incumbent is Gérard Larcher . The President of the Senate is, under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, first in the line of succession—in case of death, resignation or removal from office (only for health reasons)—to the presidency of the French Republic , becoming Acting President of the Republic until a new election can be held. This happened twice for Alain Poher —once at

819-527: The Senate, as they do not have a large number of local councillors affiliated with them, who in turn elect the senators. The left has historically opposed the very existence of a second chamber, while the right has defended it; controversies over the Senate's role are revived from time to time. The common phrase "a senator's pace" ( un train de sénateur ) mocks the upper house's perceived slow rhythm and readiness to let new legislation die. Spandrels There are four or five accepted and cognate meanings of

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858-510: The Senate. The Senate is housed inside the Luxembourg Palace in the 6th arrondissement of Paris . Like the National Assembly, it is guarded by Republican Guards . In front of the building lies the Senate's garden, the renowned Jardin du Luxembourg , open to the public. France's first experience with an upper house was under the Directory from 1795 to 1799, when the Council of Ancients

897-404: The Senate. When the Senate and the National Assembly cannot agree on a bill, the administration can decide, after a procedure called commission mixte paritaire , to give the final decision to the National Assembly, whose majority is normally on the government's side, but as regarding the constitutional laws the administration must have the Senate's agreement. This does not happen frequently; usually

936-475: The control of the Senate; they retained their majority in 2017 . Under the Constitution of France , the Senate has nearly the same powers as the National Assembly . Bills may be submitted by the government ( projets de loi ) or by either house of Parliament ( propositions de loi ). Because both houses may amend the bill, it may take several readings to reach an agreement between the National Assembly and

975-496: The displeasure of the Socialists . This has spurred controversy, especially after the 2008 election in which the Socialist Party, despite controlling all but two of France's regions , a majority of departments , as well as communes representing more than 50% of the population, still failed to achieve a majority in the Senate. The Senate has also been accused of being a "refuge" for politicians that have lost their seats in

1014-449: The horizontal decorative elements that are hung over interior and exterior openings between the posts are called spandrels. They can be made of sawn out wood, ball-and- dowels , and spindles . Wooden ornamental spandrels are known as gingerbread spandrels. If they are in an arch form, they are called gingerbread arch spandrels. The spandrels over doorways in perpendicular work are generally richly decorated. At Magdalen College, Oxford ,

1053-416: The less populated constituencies (one or two seats), they are elected individually, whereas in more populated ones (three seats or more), they are elected on lists. It is common for senators to hold dual mandates , such as in a regional council or departmental council . The Senate enjoys less prominence than the National Assembly, which is elected on direct universal ballot and upon the majority of which

1092-655: The model of the British House of Lords . At first it contained hereditary peers, but following the July Revolution of 1830, it became a body whose members were appointed for life. The Second Republic returned to a unicameral system after 1848, but soon after the establishment of the Second Empire in 1852, a Senate was established as the upper chamber. In the Fourth Republic , the Senate

1131-558: The next (the Salon des Tapisseries) still has Boffrand's ceiling, cornices , and frieze . The following room, the Grand Salon also retains these elements. In large rooms, such as the stair hall and the Grand Salon, Boffrand's unit of design was not the wall (as seen with Pierre Lepautre ), but rather the entire room. Each wall consisted of a great arcade , which "pulled the space together and subordinated doors, windows, and mirrors to

1170-405: The old to the new. Its portal is flanked by Tuscan columns on the concave courtyard side and Ionic on the convex street side. The upper floor contains a corridor connecting the east and west wings. Although Boffrand preserved the façades of the older wing, he completely redesigned the interior. A modest vestibule with Ionic columns leads directly to a grand two-storey stair hall decorated on

1209-460: The resignation of Charles de Gaulle and once at the death of Georges Pompidou . The President of the Senate also has the right to designate three of the nine members of the Constitutional Council , serving for nine years. Senators are elected indirectly by approximately 150,000 officials, known as the grands électeurs , including regional councillors, department councillors, mayors, municipal councillors in large communes, as well as members of

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1248-523: The slightly vaulted ceiling. Boffrand's decorative motifs, "the linked C-scrolls entwined with palmettes and festoons," are more similar to those of Jean Bérain than Lepautre. Boffrand also added another hôtel for the household, with kitchens and stables, on the other side of rue de Vaugirard; an underground passage linked the two residences. During the French Revolution, from 6 October 1789 until their departure into exile on 20 June 1791 ,

1287-400: The space between the circular face of a clock and the corners of the square revealed by its hood. Also included is the space under a flight of stairs , if it is not occupied by another flight of stairs. In a building with more than one floor, the term spandrel is also used to indicate the space between the top of the window in one story and the sill of the window in the story above. The term

1326-412: The term spandrel in architectural and art history , mostly relating to the space between a curved figure and a rectangular boundary – such as the space between the curve of an arch and a rectilinear bounding moulding, or the wallspace bounded by adjacent arches in an arcade and the stringcourse or moulding above them, or the space between the central medallion of a carpet and its rectangular corners, or

1365-408: The two houses eventually agree on the bill, or the administration decides to withdraw it. This power however gives the National Assembly a prominent role in the law-making process, especially since the administration is necessarily of the same side as the Assembly, for the Assembly can dismiss the administration through a motion of censure. The power to pass a vote of censure, or vote of no confidence,

1404-456: The upper floor with pilasters of the Composite order , elaborate carvings, and a coffered vault. The staircase , much admired in its day, sweeps up to the piano nobile in a single flight, its grandeur enhanced with balustrades of stone, rather than the more usual wrought iron . The princess's apartments lead directly off the landing. The first room no longer has the original décor, but

1443-470: Was replaced by the Council of the Republic , but its function was largely the same. With the new Constitution of the Fifth Republic which came into force on 4 October 1958, the older name of Senate was restored. In 2011 , the Socialist Party won control of the Senate for the first time since the foundation of the Fifth Republic. In 2014 , the centre-right Gaullists and their allies won back

1482-683: Was the upper chamber. There were Senates in both the First and Second Empires (the former being known as the Sénat conservateur , the latter as the French Senate), but these were only nominally legislative bodies – technically they were not legislative, but rather advisory bodies on the model of the Roman Senate . With the Restoration in 1814, a new Chamber of Peers was created, on

1521-445: Was turned into what Léon Gambetta famously called a "grand council of the communes of France". Over time, it developed a sense of independence as a "guardian of the institutions" and "guardian of liberties", favoured by the fact that senators are on average older than deputies in the Assembly, joining the Senate in the later part of their career. Debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally receive less media coverage. As

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