Old Hotel de Sales

The Old Hotel de Sales you see before you is one of the rare private mansions in Annecy. It was built by the de Sales family, descendants of Saint François de Sales. In the 17th century, it was used as a residence by the nobles of the House of Savoy before being confiscated during the French Revolution. Its beautiful arches are topped by busts representing the 4 seasons! Flower wreaths for spring, wheat ear hairs for summer, vine branches for autumn, and an old man bundled up for winter. Simple and effective! If you look closely at the ironwork on the balcony, you'll see laurel leaves representing eternity and the initials BMS for Benoit Maurice de Sales. From 1815, the mansion became the headquarters of the Banque de Savoie, which issued banknotes in Savoyan currency with official international status. In 1860, however, Savoy became part of France and the Banque de Savoie entered into direct competition with the Banque de France. After years of negotiations, the Banque de Savoie was finally absorbed by the Banque de France. The former Hôtel de Sales has been a listed building since 1930.