La Samaritaine, the oldest and largest department store in France, located near the metro station of Pont Neuf in the first district of Paris, is currently closed for renovation. La Samaritaine was founded in 1869 by Marie-Louise Gé and her husband Ernest Konyak, the original chief salesperson of the department store, and started as a boutique; in 1990, it was created as the present-day La Samaritaine department store. In 2001, it was acquired by the luxury giant.