Archives nationales National Archives of France

Overview

The Archives nationales (National Archives of France) are one of the world's largest and oldest national archival institutions, holding documentary heritage from the 7th century to the present day. They operate primarily from two sites in the Paris region: the historic Quadrilatère Rohan-Soubise in the Marais district of Paris, and the principal modern site at Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, opened in 2013. The institution falls under the French Ministry of Culture.

History and Founding

The National Archives were created during the French Revolution. As early as 29 July 1789, the rules of the National Assembly provided for the preservation of written documents and the appointment of an archivist. A decree of September 1790, sanctioned by Louis XVI, formalized the institution. A further state decree of 1794 mandated the centralization of all pre-Revolutionary public and private archives seized by the revolutionaries, and a law of 1796 created departmental archives to alleviate the burden on Paris. In 1800 the Archives became an autonomous body of the French state. Napoleon I took particular interest in the institution; in 1808 he ordered the acquisition of the Hôtel de Soubise and Hôtel de Rohan as the archives' home, and in 1810 made a celebrated visit to the institution. A methodical classification framework was established in 1808 by Pierre Daunou. The Pierrefitte-sur-Seine site, designed by Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas, opened to the public in January 2013 and became the main archival repository for post-Revolutionary records.

Collections and Holdings

As of 2022, the National Archives held 383 linear kilometers of physical records spanning from the year 625 to the present, as well as approximately 74.75 terabytes of electronic archives. Major holdings include Merovingian papyri, the trial of the Templars, the journal of Louis XVI, Napoleon's will, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and all successive French constitutions. The Paris site houses records from before the French Revolution and the Minutier central des notaires parisiens (approximately 20 million notarial records from the 1460s to the early 20th century). Pierrefitte-sur-Seine holds all central state records since 1790, as well as private archives from all periods.

Notable Materials for Media and Journalism Research

The National Archives hold extensive press-related administrative records and censorship files, as well as private archives of journalists, publishers, and media organizations deposited over time. Records of French government communications ministries and information bureaus are accessible through the Pierrefitte site.

Access and Usage

The Archives are open Monday through Saturday, 9:00–16:45. Admission requires registration (free of charge). Documents must be ordered in advance online. Up to five boxes of documents may be ordered per day, with a delivery time of approximately 45 minutes. The Musée des Archives nationales, located at the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris, displays rotating selections of documents from the collections.