La Maison des Deux Sirènes

Look up, right at the corner of Rue Saint-Michel and Rue Saint-Épvre. Do you see those two small intertwined figures? Despite the house’s name, they’re not mermaids at all, but two bearded tritons. This sculpted detail gave rise to the name Maison des Deux Sirènes, a townhouse built in 1586 for Raymond Luyton, valet to the future Duke Henry II of Lorraine. Take a moment to notice the doorway at number 5: its Renaissance pilasters, the finely carved decoration, and above all, a surprising detail—a Native American head adorned with a ruff collar, which happened to be very fashionable at the time. A striking example of the elegance of Lorraine’s Renaissance architecture. But this place truly stepped into history on a dramatic night in 1634. At that time, the Duchy of Lorraine was under heavy pressure from France. Charles IV, the reigning duke, had been forced to abdicate in favor of his brother Nicolas-François, cardinal and bishop of Toul. The problem was that Nicolas-François renounced his religious vows and secretly married his cousin, Claude of Lorraine, a direct heir to the ducal throne. A union that outraged France, determined to tighten its grip on Lorraine. The couple was placed under close watch, virtually prisoners in the ducal palace. Yet on the night of March 31, they managed to escape. Disguised first as valets and then as peasants to blend into the bustling market streets, they found refuge here, in the Maison des Deux Sirènes. It was only a temporary hiding place, as they soon fled to Florence, beyond French control. Today, all that remains of that past adventure are a mascaron and two stone tritons—but what a stage for such a daring escape! Listed as a Historic Monument since 1945, the Maison des Deux Sirènes remains a discreet witness to the turbulent history of the Duchy of Lorraine.