The Abbaye-aux-Bois w as a convent situated at 16 rue de Sèvres à Paris. The building became a prison during the Reign of Terror before being transformed into living accommodation. Only the church was kept.

Bad business dealings provoked Jacques Rose Récamier’s second bankruptcy in 1819, and the financial situation obliged Juliette to move to the Abbaye-aux-Bois, where the nuns rented parted of the building to single ladies from high society.
She initially occupied a small two-room apartment on the third floor, before moving to a larger one on the first floor in 1829, where she was able to show her art collection better. She continued to receive visitors, and her literary salon became one of the most important in all of Europe.
Presided by Chateaubriand, doted upon by Juliette, young writers such as Lamartine, Sainte-Beuve and Balzac were regulars to the salon and owed it their reputations.
Juliet’s salon acquired an exceptional renown and longevity, securing its place in history, and inspired passionate debate, admiration and a certain amount of jealousy.