Number 5, rue Payenne in Paris has a rich and varied history. In 1642, the architect François Mansart bought the land and built his house there, residing there until his death in 1666. In 1842, the building was raised by the jeweler Antoine Bret. Clotilde de Vaux, a leading figure of positivism and muse of Auguste Comte, is believed to have died there in 1846, although this association remains controversial.

In 1897, the Positivist Church of Brazil, led by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, acquired the building, drawn by its supposed connection to Clotilde. The building became a place of pilgrimage for positivists. Renovation work was carried out between 1904 and 1905 under the architect Gustave Goy, who modified the façade by adding a bust of Comte and a symbolic inscription. A chapel inspired by the Temple of Humanity was also created inside.