The final blow to Vivienne’s palace. Pierre-Jean Chalençon, collector of Napoleonic objects, known for participating in the “Affaire concluded” program on France 2, is no longer the owner of the Palais Vivienne, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. The extraordinary 18th century building of 506 m2 located at 36, rue Vivienne, a stone’s throw from the Stock Exchange, was sold to Swiss Life, the banking creditor institution of the famous presenter. Information revealed by the news site Actu.fr that we can confirm.
The scene occurred off-camera on November 6 during the verdict hearing in a Paris court. And very quickly. In 90 seconds to be exact. Time given to potential buyers to introduce themselves and bid. However, because no one had reported it, the private house automatically fell into the hands of its creditor bank, represented by its lawyer Me Marie-Christine Fournier Gille, with the asking price: 8 million euros, or more than 15,800 euros/m2. An art collector acquired it for 4.5 million euros (around 8,900 euros/m2) ten years ago.
The balance of 2 million to be paid to the former “Done Deal” columnist?
This sale ended a nearly two and a half year dispute between Napoleon’s lover and his bank. This is the third adjudication hearing, the previous two having been postponed at the request of Pierre-Jean Chalençon, highlighting in court his ability to obtain new financing or sell his own palace peacefully. Two hypotheses that were ultimately not revealed.
However, this result does not settle the facilitator’s account with the creditor bank. If Swiss Life’s lawyers would not comment, the debt exceeds 8 million euros. In January 2024, based on the assessment, it is set at 9.4 million euros including late payment interest. However, they have kept going since then. Therefore, it is likely that Swiss Life will now ask the host to pay the remainder, around 2 million euros.
But the most surprising thing in this affair was that this Vivienne palace, a true architectural gem, coveted by several buyers at the beginning of the procedure, was not ultimately the subject of any auction. No doubt, the repeated postponements of the hearing have exhausted these candidates who were probably hoping for a final postponement or change at the November 6 hearing. Moreover, to participate in this sale, each time they had to deposit a bank check in advance for 1% of the estimated value of the palace, which meant temporarily blocking a sum of 800,000 euros…
When contacted, Pierre-Jean Chalençon said he was “very angry”. “There are bastards and they will pay,” he told us, indicating that he would soon begin dispute proceedings.
