Samaritaine department store was founded in 1870 by Ernest and Marie-Louise Cognaki, starting with a small shop on the Seine embankment next to the Pont Neuf Bridge. The secret of their success was not in sudden wealth, but in the gradual accumulation of capital, the ability to work together and capture the spirit of the times — the growing demand for affordable fashion for the middle class in the second half of the 19th century. Thus, La Samaritaine has grown from one small shop on the waterfront into the largest trading house in Paris, built with its own accumulated funds. The innovative thinking of the family – they were among the first in France to apply the principles of mass trade — fixed prices (instead of haggling), open counters, bright storefronts and the ability to return goods. The name "La Samaritaine" comes from an ancient 17th-century water pump decorated with a statue of the Samaritan woman, which stood nearby and supplied the city with water. Gradually, the store grew to a whole complex of buildings, becoming a symbol of the heyday of Parisian commerce and the bourgeois era. Architect Frantz Jourdain was commissioned to expand and renovate the La Samaritaine complex in 1904-1905, and its Art Nouveau building was completed and officially opened in 1910. Architect Henri Sauvage was entrusted with the construction of an Art Deco extension of the building, which was carried out from about 1926, and the building was opened in 1928. What we see now: powerful wrought-iron balustrades, stained glass windows, exquisite frescoes and overhead light through a huge dome. For decades, Samaritaine was both a department store and a cultural center where you could watch fashion shows. In 2005, the department store was closed for reconstruction. After many years of restorations with investments from the LVMH Group, Samaritaine reopened in 2021, combining a luxury shopping center, boutique hotel Cheval Blanc, office and residential premises. The modern Samaritaine has preserved the historical appearance and spirit of beautiful, ancient Paris. On the facades and inside the building, the peacock is present in mosaics, stained glass windows and ornaments: it was depicted on wrought-iron grilles, in murals and even on advertising posters of the early 20th century. In addition to its aesthetic significance, the peacock also carried the symbolism of rebirth: it renews its feathers annually, which echoes the philosophy of La Samaritaine as a place of eternal renewal — trade, fashion, tastes and style. Thus, the peacock became not just a decorative element, but an emblem of the very idea of beauty, movement and rebirth, which held the spirit of this Parisian department store. The peacock was one of the most popular decorative motifs of the time. In Art Nouveau art, he symbolized beauty, grace, and luxury....

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Михаил П

Level 25 Local Expert

A wonderful historical department store! You can walk around like a historical building. Shopping can be very beautiful and useful at the same time. I definitely recommend it, even just to take a walk in its interiors!

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Sinequanone Paris

Level 3 Local Expert

A luxury department store. An architectural monument. A representative of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. I advise you to take a look if you are in Paris.

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La Samaritaine

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