5, rue Payenne in Paris has a rich and varied history. In 1642, the architect François Mansart bought the land and built his house here, where he lived until his death in 1666. In 1842, the building was raised by jeweler Antoine Bret. Clotilde de Vaux, a positivist figure and Auguste Comte's muse, is supposed to have died here in 1846, although this association remains controversial.

In 1897, the Positivist Church of Brazil, led by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, acquired the building, attracted by its alleged link with Clotilde. The building became a place of pilgrimage for positivists. Alterations were carried out between 1904 and 1905 by architect Gustave Goy, who modified the façade by adding a bust of Comte and a symbolic inscription. A chapel inspired by the Temple de l'Humanité was also built inside.