Prison in Paris. Gloomy Parisian castle conciergerie. Paris, clock on the Conciergerie tower

The history of the majestic and at the same time gloomy structure called Conciergerie, originates in the 6th century. It was then that the Frankish leader Clovis decided to build his own residence.
He did not live there long, and the palace remained empty until the tenth century, when Saint Louis decided to build a royal castle on the site of his residence. His follower was Philip the Red, who carried out a global reconstruction. Since that time, the Halls of the Guard, the Guardians, the famous Caesar's Tower, as well as the Bonbek and Silver towers have been preserved . It is noteworthy that more than once the building was restored after fires and underwent restoration.

Conciergerie

In the 14th century, the Conciergerie was moved to. This happened after rioting townspeople broke into the building and killed several of the king's advisors.
The management of the fortress was entrusted to a court concierge (whose name is unknown) after it became the administration of the king. The person who held this position had privileges and, of course, power. He was constantly in the palace.

In this regard, the name Conciergerie appeared. The castle manager's duties included collecting rent from merchants who rented shops on the premises and taking money from prisoners for furniture in the prison cells. The position of a concierge was considered very prestigious and highly paid at that time. It could only be obtained by people who belonged to the noble nobility.

Interesting fact : after the building ceased to bear the title royal palace, it was made the Palace of Justice. It is noteworthy that the French prosecutor's office is now sitting there.

Since 1391, the castle began to be considered an official prison. No one left the Conciergerie to freedom. The executions were carried out in front of a curious public. Usually the condemned were led to prison, and then forced to repent publicly before all honest people. Most often, executions were carried out on Greve Square, now called Hotel de Ville.

Conciergerie in the 19th century

The concierge service was expanded at Philip the Handsome, adding the Hall of Guardians, decorated in the early Gothic style. In addition, in 1315 the Hall of the Armed Forces was equipped, impressive in its size. The area of the premises is two thousand square meters and the length is 70 meters.

In each corner there used to be fireplaces in which two oxen were cooked on spits. Like other supplies, they were delivered on special barges and transported to the kitchen through the window.

It is noteworthy that the first prisoner was Enguerrand de Marigny. It was he who was entrusted with the construction of the palace building. Enguerrand was executed in 1314. Just a few years later, Count Gabriel de Montgomery ended up in the Conciergerie prison, who mortally wounded Henry II. The robber Cartouche was in prison. He was subjected to terrible torture and was executed.

Note that in 1790 the number of prisoners increased sharply. During Robespierre's imprisonment, several dozen prisoners played chess in the large hall. By 1793 their number reached a thousand. The ladies were located in the Guardian Hall.

It was enough to belong to a noble family to end up in prison. No one left the Conciergerie alive. Prisoners were taken to public execution along embankments and bridges to a place with a guillotine. She was constantly transported from one square to another.

What is Conciergerie today?

Today, the Conciergerie looks the same as it did during the French Revolution! The restorers compiled the exhibition in detail, conveying the atmosphere of the prison as accurately and realistically as possible. Inside, everyone can familiarize themselves with engravings of that era, as well as real documents and lists of prisoners who served time in the castle before their own execution.

Description of the monument: where you can take stunning photos

A beautiful view of the palace opens from. You can enjoy the splendor of the building from. From these angles you can see the largest towers of the castle. One of them is called the Clock Tower: it was there that the first Parisian watch. Behind it are the round tower (Bonbek), Caesar's and Silver (it once housed the treasures of kings). Behind the Bonbec Tower there is a passage to the Tribunal building, where the tribunal sessions were held during the French Revolution.

Clock tower Conciergerie

Round tower of the Conciergerie

Caesar's, Silver, Round Conciergerie Towers

Inside the Conciergerie you can see three stunning halls, furnished in Gothic style. In addition, there are many small rooms. Entering the building and passing the Gendarmes Hall and the Guard Hall, visitors find themselves in the Warriors’ room. Its area is about 1800 square meters. Nowadays, celebrity concerts and various exhibitions are held there. Behind the Hall of Warriors there is a kitchen outbuilding where the king's servants were located.

The clock tower is located with outside palace and is the most noticeable. It was erected in 1350 and the very first clock was installed there. They were replaced with new ones in 1586. Interestingly, they still decorate the palace.

From the side of the dial you can see classical figures that are symbols of Law and Justice. The tower overlooks Lepine Square, which was named after the chief of police.
Not far from the square are the famous Quai Orfevre and the Paris Police Headquarters. Brightening up the overall view is the Flower Market, which is open daily. By the way, on Sundays you can hear the chirping of birds and buy a feathered friend.

Interior of a palace in Paris

At the entrance there is a large Hall of the Gendarmes, which is the clearest example of late French Gothic. Let us note that this room seems truly unique, since, unlike many others, it has been preserved since the time of the royal Capetian dynasty. The Hall of the Gendarmes is the oldest of those preserved in Europe, and is a voluminous room, which is divided into 4 parts by rows of columns. Even before the Conciergerie was a prison building, the hall was used as a refectory, where all the royal guards and servants rested.

Hall of the Gendarmes Conciergerie

At the farthest end of the Hall of Gendarmes you can see a metal grate. It appeared there during the French Revolution. Poor prisoners who were unable to pay for a separate cell were kept behind bars. Such people were nicknamed “senniks” because they slept on hay. Not far from former Hall gendarmes there is a small corridor room in which prisoners could walk. Visitors to the Conciergerie can see restored prison cells. These include the “toilet” room, where prisoners’ hair was cut before execution.

At the top you can see the restored chamber Marie Antoinette. She spent her last 76 days of captivity there. If you believe historical references, the restorers have recreated everything down to the smallest detail: there is wax figure Mary in a black robe, with her back to the door. An observer can be seen directly behind her. On the wall there is an image of a fleur-de-lis - the emblem of the French royal house.

Marie Antoinette's Camera

Interesting fact: in one of the prison premises of the Conciergerie, Mata Hari, a famous spy, was sentenced to death. In addition, the trial of Emile Zola was held.

If you want to visit magnificent castle, located on the Ile de la Cité, you need to take the City metro station. The conciergerie is located on the Boulevard du Palais. Tours run from 9am to 5pm from November to February. Between March and October the palace can be visited from 9:30 to 18:00. There are no days off. The cost of an adult ticket is 8.5 euros, a reduced ticket is 5.5 euros. If you come in a group of 20 people, the excursion will cost 5.5 euros per visitor. There are also combined tickets with a visit to Sainte Chapelle. Their cost starts from 8.5 euros (with benefits) to 12.5 euros.

It will take you several hours to fully explore all the rooms of the castle, but the tour is really worth your time! The whole story of the mysterious Conciergerie will come to life before your eyes. During the tour you will be able to see the prisoners' cells and the famous guillotine where the death penalty was carried out; Walk through the corridors where prisoners once walked and explore the castle courtyard. There, prisoners usually walked before execution and said goodbye to their relatives through the bars.

Solitary cell in Conciergerie

Table with full list Guilloted at the Conciergerie

You will definitely remember your trip to the Conciergerie for many years. By visiting the castle, you will get a lot of unforgettable impressions and get acquainted with interesting historical facts.
It is impossible to miss the majestic Conciergerie building in Paris! The palace fascinates with its unique beauty and attracts with its long history. It is located near Notre Dame Cathedral and traces its ancestry back to around 507, from King Clovis. It is noteworthy that this castle was the residence of monarchs for quite a long time. During this era, even Anna Yaroslavna herself (the youngest daughter of Yaroslav the Wise) lived there as Queen of France!

Did you like the article? to always be up to date with events. Palais de Justice), which still houses municipal services, the court, and the prosecutor's office. This complex occupies almost half of the Ile de la Cité. Today the palace is a heterogeneous architectural ensemble with elements built from the 13th to the 20th centuries.

History of the Palace of Justice

Having lost its role as the residence of the king, the palace in the Cité turns into the Palace of Justice.

The name “Conciergerie” meant either the private mansion of a concierge or a prison attached to the judiciary. When leaving the palace, the king entrusted its security to the concierge. Such an important position could only be held by very influential persons of high rank, including Queen Isabella of Bavaria. Under the Conciergerie, there was always a prison inside the palace walls. At the end of the 14th century, when the neighboring prison at Chatelet became overcrowded, some prisoners were transferred to the palace cells. In 1391 the building became an official prison. It held political prisoners, swindlers, and murderers.

Three towers of the Conciergerie survive from medieval times: the Caesar, named after the Roman emperor; The Silver Tower, in which the royal treasures were kept; and Bonbec (French Bonbec - “good beak”), which received this name due to the fact that it contained torture chambers, and from there the “singing” of the victims could be heard.

Numerous fires hit the palace. The most destructive was the fire of 1618, when huge rooms were destroyed in one night, all the stucco work, all the sculptures, the paintings on the lampshades of the Hall of Lost Steps, and many documents were destroyed. In 1630, the Sainte-Chapelle was engulfed in flames, and it was miraculously saved. The royal chambers, the Galerie de Mercier, the Grand Entrance to the Powerful Tower, the merchants' gallery, which was once the busiest place in Paris, were destroyed by the fire of 1776. The reconstruction was entrusted to the architects Jacques Denis Antoine, Guillaume Martin Couture and Demaison. They demolished the Treasury of the Charters, the eastern wall of the palace, the Montgomery Tower and built the modern facade of the Palace of Justice, the Sainte-Chapelle gallery, new prison cells, and a chapel at the Conciergerie on the site of a 12th-century chapel.

On the eve of the Revolution, the struggle for power between parliament and King Louis XVI began to resemble a theatrical performance. On May 5, 1788, the parliamentarians locked themselves in the palace, refusing to hand over two people whom Louis XVI had sent for. In 1789, the Constituent Assembly (Constituent Assembly) decided to dissolve parliament for an indefinite period. In 1790, Jean Sylvain Bailly, the mayor of Paris, sealed the doors of the palace. In 1792 the monarchy fell. The Revolutionary Tribunal, established in March 1793, was located in the Great Royal Apartments. In July, Robespierre joined the Committee of Public Safety with a program based on virtue and terror. The “Law on Suspects” ordered the arrest of all enemies of the Revolution who admitted their guilt or were only suspected of anti-revolutionary views.

From 1793 to 1794, more than 2,700 people appeared before Fouquier-Tinville, the Tribunal's public prosecutor, among them Queen Marie Antoinette and Robespierre. In 1794, witnesses and defense were canceled, and every day several dozen prisoners were sent to the guillotine. The Tribunal was dissolved in May 1795 after the fall of Robespierre.

Prisoners

By an evil irony of fate, one of the first prisoners of the Conciergerie turned out to be Enguerrand de Marigny (the same one to whom Philip the Fair entrusted the construction of the new palace). Under the heir Louis X the Grumpy, he fell out of favor and was executed in 1314.

Count Gabriel de Montgomery, who mortally wounded Henry II, ended up in the Conciergerie a few years later for joining the Reformation movement and opposing Charles IX. Executed in 1574. Religious fanatic François Ravaillac was imprisoned two days after the murder of Henry IV, he was tortured with “boots” - stocks. After the trial, he was publicly tortured and then quartered with the help of four horses.

The history of the Conciergerie Castle begins simultaneously with the history of the rise of Paris. Paris became the capital of the Frankish state in 508, when King Clovis I of the Merovingian dynasty decided to establish a impregnable castle, your personal residence. This original palace was the predecessor of the modern Conciergerie.

The change of dynasties led to a change in geographical priorities, and under the Carolingians the center of the state shifted from Paris to the east, to the city of Laon, as a result of which the royal castle on the Ile de la Cité began to gradually decline and deteriorate, like the whole of Paris. The city was destined to once again enter a phase of prosperity in the 10th century, when Hugo Capet, the founder of the Capetian dynasty, again moved the royal residence to Paris, and the castle was returned to the status of a royal fortress.

The next 4 centuries were a time of great architectural transformations. Each monarch from the descendants of Hugh Capet sought to rebuild the castle according to his needs and aesthetic ideas. Underground galleries connecting the fortifications were added to the walls, and the Royal Meeting Hall and the Royal Chamber were added to the architectural ensemble. New churches and chapels appeared on the territory of the fortress, and by the 13th century it became a truly impregnable military fortification, towers and donjons were added to its appearance. At the same time, under Philip II, for the first time in historical documents the position of a concierge was mentioned - the guardian of minor court cases on the territory of the palace. Saint Louis turned the castle from a formidable impregnable fort into a repository of holy Christian relics. The fortress is gradually losing its military significance. And at the end of the 13th century, through the efforts of Philip the Fair, Paris acquired one of the most magnificent royal palaces in Europe - as close as possible to his modern look. Here the fortress walls are being renewed, the Silver Tower and Caesar's Tower are being built, the Royal Hall is being expanded, and its interior is decorated with statues of Frankish monarchs. In the middle of the 14th century, the final adjustments were made to the appearance of the castle - in particular, the Clock Tower was completed.

(price: 25.00 €, 2 hours)

After the popular uprising of 1358, and the rise to power of Charles V, the royal residence was moved from the Ile de la Cité to the Louvre, and the old royal castle became the Palace of Justice. Having left the family nest, the king entrusted the palace to the concierge, hence the name - Conciergerie.

By the end of the 14th century, the prison adjacent to the Palace of Justice began to overcrowd, and some of the prisoners were transferred to the Conciergerie. Gradually, the palace acquired the official status of a prison, sometimes eclipsing the glory of the Bastille. Wealthy prisoners could afford solitary furnished cells here, while the lower class languished in the basements, on straw, with rats.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the architectural ensemble of the palace was damaged by several major fires, as a result of which its appearance again changed somewhat during restoration work.

The French Revolution and the fall of the monarchy further aggravated the dark glory of the once luxurious palace. Since 1793, a revolutionary tribunal has been located in the royal chambers of the castle. Political prisoners flowed like a river through the cells of the Conciergerie, into the courtrooms, and from there to the guillotine. There was even an aphorism that the guillotine was the only way to freedom from the Conciergerie. The “Law on Suspects” gave the right to arrest anyone who in any way resembled enemies of the Revolution, sometimes without any reason. The defendants did not have the right to witnesses or defense. Among the most famous prisoners of the prison are Marie Antoinette and Robespierre, who, by ironic chance, became a victim of the policy of general terror inspired by himself.

The revolutionary tribunal did not last long; in fact, it was dissolved after the death of Robespierre, but managed, however, to sentence more than 2,500 prisoners to death in two years. Other sentences, except death penalty, the tribunal did not bear it. After the Revolution, the castle remained a prison for some time, but gradually began to lose its ominous glory. In 1914, having partially retained the functions of the Palace of Justice, the castle opened to the general public as a museum.

Attractions

The walls of this Palace evoke echoes of “those times” to tourists. Those who visit the Palace will plunge into the world of that time and learn about the terrible executions and crimes that were hidden behind the walls of the palace.

Chapel Sainte-Chapelle

Built by Saint Louis IX in the 13th century, this chapel was not the first temple building on the territory architectural complex royal palace. In its place previously stood the chapel of Saint Nicholas, erected at the beginning of the 11th century. Louis, who began the systematic transformation of the fortification into a repository of shrines obtained by the crusaders, which he acquired for a lot of money, began construction of a new temple. The Sainte-Chapelle became a unique reliquary that elevated Louis in the eyes of Western Christendom. None of the monarchs could boast of possessing, for example, a piece of the Holy Cross taken from Constantinople. The collection of shrines kept at Sainte-Chapelle was truly unique. It should be noted that the construction of the chapel itself cost Louis three times less than the acquisition of the crown of thorns stored in it. With its relatively small sizes, the chapel is a fine example of Gothic architecture. Its interior is richly decorated with lancet stained glass windows and sculptural compositions. At first glance, it may seem that the temple consists entirely of colored stained glass windows, and the sophisticated high stone structures are the frame for them. In addition to storing relics, the Sainte-Chapelle chapel was also a place of prayer for the royal family.

The chapel was badly damaged during the revolutionary years. Its interior and most of the collection's exhibits were looted and lost. Some of the sculptures were preserved, and the crown of thorns is currently kept in Notre Dame de Paris. At the beginning of the 19th century, an archive was installed in the chapel, as a result of which some of the unique stained glass windows of the lower tier were lost. IN last years Sainte-Chapelle has undergone large-scale restoration work that has recreated its original appearance.

Hall of Warriors – La salle des Gardes

A unique example of secular Gothic architecture, the large four-nave Warriors' Hall was built at the beginning of the 14th century and served as a banquet hall, and on ordinary, non-holiday days, the king's guard dined here. total area the hall is 2,000 sq.m., and its high vaults are supported by 70 columns.

The huge space was heated by four fireplaces. From the hall you can directly access the royal kitchen, where food was delivered by barges along the waters of the Seine and served through a special window. The four hearths of this kitchen were intended for the preparation of a certain type of food - on one of them meat was cooked, on the other - poultry, the third served for preparing fish dishes, on the fourth vegetables were cooked. On the “meat” hearth of the kitchen it was possible to fry two bull carcasses at the same time. In the Hall of Warriors there is part of a marble banquet table, at which more than 2,000 people could dine.

Today, only the first floor remains of the kitchen wing. It was built during the reign of John the Good in the second half of the 14th century.

The main purpose of the room was to store products that came here from ships sailing along the Seine. The king's staff were also located here.

Guards Hall

The large royal chambers, in which the council met and fateful decisions were made, and in the revolutionary years numerous death sentences were passed, unfortunately have not survived to this day. You can judge its scale by the surviving hallway, which is the Guardroom.

The time of its construction coincides with the construction of the Hall of Warriors; it has the same Gothic style, but is much smaller in size than the banquet hall. Its area is 300 square meters. The floor level of the lower medieval halls of the palace is much lower than the current ground level, the cultural layer of which has risen somewhat over the centuries since the foundation of the castle.

Paris street - La rue de Paris

One of the darkest places in the castle, named after the executioner named de Paris. This place was once part of the Hall of Warriors, but in the 15th century, when the palace complex was finally turned into a prison, part of the banquet halls was fenced off.

In this dark part of the castle, the poorest prisoners served their sentences, suffering here from unsanitary conditions and disease.

Marie Antoinette's solitary cell

The legendary place where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned.

Here the interior of the solitary cell itself has been recreated, where you can see the figures of the queen sitting with her back, and two gendarmes constantly watching her. It is believed that Robespierre spent his last hours here.

Chapel of Marie Antoinette

Among the most recent attractions of the palace complex associated with revolutionary events, noteworthy is the chapel of Marie Antoinette,

Prisoner's corridor

Also noteworthy is the so-called “prisoner corridor”, which was the place independent walks prison inmates. There was also a special room where, before execution, all of the condemned’s personal belongings were taken away for the fund to support the revolution, and the hair on the back of the head was cut off for the convenience of the executioner. Also, for reasons of convenience, some of the hair of the condemned was left untouched, so that it would be easier for the executioner to lift the severed heads. In the corridor of prisoners there is a room for an overseer, who monitored the movements of prisoners, compiled lists of those who were sent to execution and new arrivals.

Gloomy prison corridors and cells are decorated with wax figures depicting prisoners and guards, which complement the already realistically recreated atmosphere of revolutionary terror.

You can explore the hall built on the site of the royal prayer room, where in 1793 representatives of the Girondist party feasted before their execution.

According to the tradition of revolutionary times, prisoners sentenced to death had the right to have a feast before execution. In memory of this, the hall is called the “Girondist Chapel”.

The "Women's Courtyard" of the prison with a fountain in the center has been preserved. Prisoners released for walks washed their clothes in it. Here, after the verdict, the prisoners waited for carts, which, in groups of 12 people, took them to the place of execution.

In the prison corridors you can see the Conciergerie's list of prisoners, and there is also an exhibition of historical documents and other exhibits dedicated to the five centuries of history of the castle after it turned from a royal residence to a prison.

Castle towers

The palace has four towers, each of which has its own history and keeps its secrets.

Bonbek Tower

The oldest of the castle towers that have survived to this day, Bonbec, was built on the northern side of the palace wall during the reign of Saint Louis, in the 13th century. It is a typical example of a classical medieval crenellated tower and has round shape. In the 15th century, when the palace had already become a prison, the jagged top of the tower was supplemented with a pointed roof.

Bonbec became one of the darkest and most sinister places in the Conciergerie - there were torture chambers where a variety of terrible instruments were used on prisoners in order to extract confessions. The screams of the unfortunate people being tortured echoed throughout the castle. This is probably where the name of the tower came from, which means “Good Beak” in Old French. It is believed that prisoners were tortured until songs needed by justice began to flow from their “beaks.” The translation of the name Bonbek is also known as “Tower of Talkers”.

Having miraculously survived all subsequent reconstructions, architectural transformations during the reign of Philip the Fair, as well as natural disasters of subsequent centuries, which greatly changed the appearance of the Conciergerie, the Bonbec Tower has retained its historical appearance practically unchanged.

Caesar's Tower and the Silver Tower

Caesar's Tower was built during the reconstruction and expansion of the castle buildings under Philip IV the Fair, at the end of the 13th century, under the leadership of Enguerrand de Marigny. The massive round tower with a pointed roof received its name in honor of the famous Roman emperor, in memory of the Roman period in the history of Paris, when Gaul was part of the Empire. According to an unconfirmed version, the tower was built on the site of an ancient Roman residence.

Since the reconstruction of the castle under Philip IV was intended not only to make it one of the most luxurious palaces in Europe, but also to concentrate all French officials around the royal residence, the new buildings had to accommodate administrative services. The Caesar's Tower housed the archive of criminal cases, and meetings of advisers who passed verdicts and sentences in criminal cases were also held here. Later, the archive on criminal cases was moved to another location, closer to the Investigation Chamber.

Currently, at Caesar's Tower (on the left in the photo) there is an entrance to the territory of the museum of the Conciergerie architectural ensemble. In the Middle Ages, the entrance to the castle was located between two twin towers - Caesar's Tower and the Silver Tower.

The Silver Tower, also built during the reign of Philip IV, is located to the right of Caesar's Tower, almost close to it. It also has a round shape, almost repeating the architecture of its neighbor. Once the northern façade of the castle, including its towers, was washed by the waters of the Seine, which made the castle even more impenetrable. The embankment was built only in the 16th century.

According to legend, the tower housed the royal treasury - hence the name “silver”. However, she also had another, less romantic purpose. Being adjacent to Caesar's Tower, where the archive for criminal cases was placed, the Silver Tower housed the most important civil archive in terms of importance and volume. Other names for the tower: “Parliament Tower”, or “Grand Chamber Tower”. Employees of both archives (for civil and criminal cases), considering their department more important than the neighboring one, called the institution entrusted to them simply “Tower”, as if ignoring the presence of each other.

Currently, the three round towers of the Conciergerie, with conical roofs, give the external appearance of the castle the image of an impregnable military stronghold, and the entire embankment looks like a setting for a medieval knightly romance.

The latest and tallest of the castle towers, the Clock Tower, was erected in the second half of the 14th century. Its height is just under 50 m. This is the only Conciergerie tower that has a rectangular rather than a round shape. Initially it was crowned with a lantern, and later with a silver bell. The tower served as an observation post for the castle guards.

The clock on it appeared under Charles V, in 1370. A German watchmaker, Heinrich Wieck, was invited to create them. This was the first public clock in Paris, which became a symbol of the importance of observing the disciplinary standards of service, since it was at this time that the castle ceased to be a royal residence, became completely an administrative institution and came under the control of a concierge.

At the end of the 16th century, Henry III replaced the watch dial with a new one, which was made by the famous master Germain Pilon. The clock was decorated with statues depicting Law and Justice. During the revolution, the figures were badly damaged, but were then restored. The interior of the tower was changed several times during its existence.

The inscription on the dial reads: “This mechanism, dividing time into 12 equal and fair parts, teaches to protect Justice and defend the Law.”

Tickets:

Adult: 8.50 euros

Child: 5.50 euros

Children under 18 on a family visit, young people - EU members but not French citizens, under 26 years old, pensioners, and the disabled are free of charge.

How to get there

Address: 2 Boulevard du Palais, Paris 75001
Telephone: +33 1 53 40 60 80
Website: conciergerie.monuments-nationaux.fr
Metro: Cite
RER train: Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame
Working hours: 9:30-18:00

Ticket price

Adult: 9 €
Reduced: 7 €

Updated: 11/16/2018

An article about the rich history of a wonderful monument of the French capital. Conciergerie Palace... What is it - a prison, a castle or a museum?

How to find it on the embankment

We often come across the word “Concierge” and know very well what it means. But where did this word come from? Imagine you are standing in the very center of the first arrondissement of Paris...

The same city can produce a diametrically opposite impression depending on how you build your route. The main thing here is not to make a mistake. It is important to accurately calculate your strength so as not to frighten away your emotions with fatigue. My favorite route in Paris starts from the Place du Châtelet and leads through the Ile de la Cité to the Place Saint Michel and then along the embankment to the very Eiffel Tower.

Fountain of Victory on Place Chatelet

The first thing that catches your eye when you step from the Place du Châtelet onto the Changers' Bridge is the complex of the Palace of Justice. One of its parts is the Conciergerie. Let's talk about it in more detail.

Castle

Back in 508, the Frankish king Clovis decided that it would be nice to build a castle on the island of Cité with the prospect of becoming a royal residence. The castle was built, the king was pleased with it and lived there until his death in 511. After which the center of political disputes moved to the East and the building remained unclaimed until the end of the 10th century, when Hugo Capet placed the Council and administration in it. Over the next few centuries, the castle was constantly upgraded.

So Robert “The Pious” significantly expanded the area of the castle. With him, the royal hall appears and the chapel of Saint-Nicolas is erected.
Louis “The Fat” focused on strengthening the walls and building the Montgomery Tower, which was demolished in the 18th century.
Louis “the Young” upgraded the royal chambers and added a special chapel to them.
Philip II continued the work of Louis “Tolstoy” and added several towers.
Louis “the Saint” erected the famous Sainte-Chapelle, the Treasury of the Charters, a gallery connecting the upper chapel of the palace and the royal chambers. During his reign, the castle finally lost all military significance and became an unrivaled palace.
Philip "the Handsome", who became famous for executing the Templars, brought the Conciergerie Palace to the level of the most luxurious mansion in Europe.

The reconstruction lasted quite a long time, but in the middle of the 14th century, the Conciergerie Palace ceased to be a place for royal parties and the Parliament, the royal council, the chamber of accounts and the prison moved in to celebrate.

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Jail

What would a castle be without a prison surrounded by dark legends. One of the first prisoners is Enguerrand de Marigny, the man whom Philip “the Handsome” ordered to build a new palace to replace the Conciergerie. The fact is that under the heir Louis “The Grumpy” he fell out of favor and was predictably executed. Count Gabriel de Montgomery, who mortally wounded Henry II, passed through these same prison cellars, as did the religious figure François Ravaillac.

After the fall of the monarchy in 1793, the former royal residence became the main prison of the revolutionary tribunal. In two years, more than 2,780 people passed through it to the guillotine.

The most famous prisoner of the prison was Queen Marie Antoinette, it was from here that she was sent to execution. In the cells of the Conciergerie they passed last days the poet Andre Chénier, the great chemist Antoine Lavoisier and Charlotte de Corday, who made a successful attempt on Marat's life.

It is worth emphasizing that history has decided in a very bizarre way. Soon the leaders of the revolution themselves began to arrive at the Conciergerie, who approved of the terror. First, Danton was executed - one of the founding fathers of the first French Republic, as well as the Minister of Justice. Here is a quote from the memoirs of his executioner Charles Henri Sanson:

“First, Hérault de Sechelles ascended the scaffold, and Danton with him, not waiting to be called. The assistants had already grabbed Hérault and put a bag over his head when Danton came up to hug him, since Hérault could no longer say goodbye to him. Then Danton exclaimed: “Fools!” Will you stop the heads from kissing in the sack?..” The guillotine knife had not yet been cleared when Danton was already approaching; I held him back, inviting him to turn away while the body was removed, but he just shrugged his shoulders contemptuously: “A little more or less blood on your car, what’s the importance?” just don’t forget to show my head to the people; It’s not every day that you see such heads.” These were his last words."

After some time, the legendary Robespierre himself was executed. Interestingly, before his execution he was put in a cell where the deposed Queen Marie Antoinette had awaited her fate a year earlier. There is a legend that when Robespierre left his cell, he hit his forehead on the lintel of the door, which he himself ordered to be made low in order to force the proud queen to bow when leaving and leaving.

Museum

It is worth visiting this curious object for several reasons. Firstly, the oldest medieval hall in Europe, created in 1310, is located here. It was in this hall that the revolutionary tribunal met in 1793-95. Secondly, it was here that the first watches in France appeared. They were installed around 1350. Those watches, unfortunately, have not survived. In 1585 they were replaced by a masterpiece by Germain Pilon, which we still see today.

The dial is decorated with allegorical images of Law and Justice. Thirdly, it is in the Conciergerie Palace that you can feel the atmosphere medieval castle and the bloody spirit of the French Revolution.

You can get to the Conciergerie Palace from 9.30-18.00, from

In Paris, on the very shore Cite Islands, located on the Seine River, very close to the famous Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, stands a majestic building with a dark history - the Conciergerie Palace. Former luxurious chambers of many generations of French monarchs, drowning in luxury and wealth, and a former harsh prison with terrible torture chambers - all this is the Conciergerie Castle.

Model of medieval Paris, O. Cité, 16th century. Carnavalet Museum

Its exterior is so authentic that it is impossible to pass by. The Conciergerie is a must-see for anyone who decides to visit Paris. The Conciergerie (French La Conciergerie) is a former royal castle and prison in the very center of Paris in the 1st arrondissement. The Conciergerie Castle is part of the Palais de Justice complex, which still houses municipal services, the court, and the prosecutor's office.

Bonbek Tower

Caesar's Tower and the Silver Tower

This complex occupies almost half of the Ile de la Cité. Today the palace is a heterogeneous architectural ensemble with elements built from the 13th to the 20th centuries. Two buildings have survived from Capetian times: the royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie. Both of these architectural monument are museums. Hundreds of prisoners during the French Revolution were thrown into the Conciergerie and then executed

The month of May in the Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry, the background is the Cité Palace in Paris with the entrance to the left, the Conciergerie and the clock tower.

And this is already June against the same background

Gloomy roofs...

Grilles...walls...souvenir shops

I can imagine how scary it was for the prisoners to be here... it’s scary to just walk here

Have you noticed the thickness of the walls?
The beginning of the history of the Conciergerie Palace (emphasis on the last “and”) goes back centuries; this building can be called one of the oldest palaces in Paris, founded in the distant 6th century (probably in 508) by the king of the Franks Clovis chose the Ile de la Cité for the construction of the palace, and for the first time Paris became the official residence of the king.

Gloomy Gothic vaults

James I André du Quersault, Great Hall of the Cité Palace, 1560

He lived there until his death in 511. During the Carolingian dynasty, the center of the empire moved to the east; the monarchs abandoned their palace, and the city was deserted.

Clovis and Hugo Capet

At the end of the 10th century. Hugo Capet(the first king of the Capetian dynasty) housed the council and administration in the palace.

Great Hall now

Thus, the castle became the residence of the French kings, and Paris again became the capital of the king of France, whereas under the last Carolingians it was Laon. For four centuries, the Capetians worked to transform their fortress.

Son of Hugo Capet Robert II the Pious(972-1031), having married Constance of Arles (third wife), an ambitious woman who bore the king nine children, decided to enlarge the royal castle. He attached posterns to the walls. In the northeast of the castle he built the Royal Hall, where the Curia (Great Royal Council (Curia regis)) met, and in the west - the Royal Chamber. On the same spot where Louis IX would erect the Sainte-Chapelle, Robert ordered the chapel of Saint-Nicolas to be erected, since his father had granted the old royal chapel to the monks of the Order of Saint Magloire.

Spiral staircase without railings

How did architects not get confused in this intersection and heap of arches, columns and vaults?

"The Eagle of Suger" is exhibited at the Louvre

Louis VI the Fat(1081/1078 − 1137) and his friend Abbot Suger from the monastery of Saint-Denis did everything to put the power of the church at the service of the monarchy and pacify the vassals. Besieged by the lords, the king strengthened the walls on the western side of the fortress, demolished the ancient donjon and built a powerful tower 11.70 m in diameter with walls 3 meters thick, which received in the 16th century. name "Montgomery", and stood until the 18th century.

Is it a fireplace...or a secret passage?

Louis VII the Young(or the Younger) (1120-1180) enlarged the royal chambers and added a chapel to them, lower chapel which would later become the Conciergerie Chapel.

Remains of former decorations remind of the palace origins of this place

Philip II Augustus(1165-1223) - the warlike king became an innovator in the field of military architecture; with the help of a whole cohort of engineers, personally observing the progress of the work, he built up the entire royal domain with fortresses, protecting them with towers and dungeons. The palace at Cite became the center of power. In 1187, Philip II Augustus received Richard the Lionheart at the castle, in 1193 he celebrated his wedding with Ingeborg of Denmark, and royal charters first mentioned a “concierge” receiving a salary for performing “small and medium justice” on the palace grounds. In addition, according to the chronicler and physician Rigord, Philip II ordered the stinking swamps around the palace, the smell of which bothered him, to be paved over.

The exhibition is dedicated to historical events in this castle-dungeon

Louis IX Saint(1214-1270) being virtuous, he was not devoid of ambition. He set out to become a beacon of the Western Christian world and in 1239 acquired the holy relics of the Passion of the Lord, exhibited them in the palace, specially building for them in record time (1242-1248) a luxurious reliquary - the chapel of Sainte-Chapelle.

Reliquary

He also erected the Treasury of the Charters; the Gallery de Mercier, which connected the upper chapel of the palace with the royal chambers; “Hall on the Waters”, which served for ceremonies. Gradually, castle-fortresses lose their defensive role and become habitats. From now on, the royal monastery must meet the requirements of comfort and luxury.

In the 14th century, under Philip IV the Fair(1268-1314), the fortress turned into the most luxurious palace in Europe. Philip entrusted the coadjutor of the Kingdom of France (chief ruler) Enguerrand de Marigny (future prisoner of the Conciergerie) with the construction of a palace, the new appearance of which would be a reflection of royal greatness. In addition, the coadjutor had the task of making the castle as spacious as possible so that administrative services could fit in it.

Exhibition of medieval interiors...everything is very natural and frightening

For this purpose, many houses located close to the palace were expropriated. The following were built: the Chamber of Inquiry, Caesar's Tower, the Silver Tower, a gallery for the transition to the Bonbec Tower, a new fortress wall in the south, the Chamber of Accounts opposite the Sainte-Chapelle... On the site of the Royal Hall, a Great Hall was erected, much more spacious than the first.

A huge table made of black marble brought from Germany was placed in it, the walls were lined with wooden panels, and on each of the supporting columns stood polychrome statues of the kings of France created by Evrard of Orleans.

Charles V the Wise and John II the Good

John II the Good(1319-1364) was the last to put his hand to the medieval palace: he added floors above the de Mercier gallery for the palace servants, built a building for kitchens, a square tower (Clock Tower), on which his son Charles V the Wise placed the first city clock in 1370.

At the end of the 14th century, the history of the royal palace ended. In 1358, a popular uprising took place under the leadership of the Parisian provost Etienne Marcel. Taking advantage of the absence of King John II, captured by the British, he organized the murder of two of his advisers, and in front of the future king Charles V. Having become king, Charles V left the castle and the Isle of Cité, setting up a residence in the Saint-Paul mansion, and then in the Louvre.

Stella in memory of the executed

What that very first building looked like is not known for certain, since the Palace was regularly reconstructed and completed by various monarchs. He also often suffered from the destructive flames of fires. By the way, it was in the Conciergerie Palace that the famous Princess Anna, the daughter of the Kyiv prince Yaroslav the Wise, lived, who became the wife of the French monarch. La Conciergerie

Jean Fouquet, Banquet Hall of Charles V the Wise, between 1455 and 1460. January 6-1378, King Charles V the Wise gives a banquet in honor of Charles IV, Emperor of Bohemia, and his son Wenceslas, King of the Romans. The meal takes place in the Palace Hall, in the presence of the court and a significant crowd of dignitaries....

The history of the building as a luxurious residence of French kings ended in the 14th century, when, after a popular revolt (two royal advisers died at the hands of angry rebel Parisians), Charles the Fifth decided to move his residence to the new Louvre Palace. In the building of the old royal palace, part of the administration located there remained, at the head of which the monarch left his senior concierge. This is how the name of the palace was born - La Conciergerie.

Palace..of..kings.Paris
After the king left the Conciergerie Palace, he began to refer to the Palace of Justice. Not far from the Conciergerie there was a prison. When it could no longer accommodate all the prisoners, some prisoners began to be housed within the walls of the former royal palace.

Jean-Louis Prieur, Brothers Agasse, going to execution, their bodies made by their families: February 8, 1790, 1802

Thus began a new page in the history of La Conciergerie - in 1391 it officially became a royal prison. In those days, there was virtually always only one way out of a prisoner - execution by guillotine. Before execution, the prisoner was taken to the Notre-Dame de Paris church, where he could make public repentance. And then the unfortunate man was taken to the notorious Place de Greve, where the execution took place.

The Conciergerie is one of the darkest places in Paris, behind whose walls the restless souls of prisoners appear. Walls that absorbed the groans of the condemned and those who died in suffering.

Comfort in prison depended on the social status and condition of the prisoner. The prisoners themselves or their relatives paid for their accommodation in prison. The rich could afford spacious cells with good furniture; noble prisoners were allowed to read books and write letters. A prisoner of average wealth could pay for narrow rooms with a hard bed. Such “small” cameras were called “pistols” - from the monetary unit “pistol”. And the poor prisoners faced imprisonment in a damp, dark basement with a straw bedding instead of a bed and rats. People could not survive for long in such conditions.

The prison was divided into women's and men's sections. Women could walk in the courtyard near the fountain, where they were allowed visits with loved ones. Poorly imprisoned ladies who could not pay for the services of laundresses washed their clothes themselves in the fountain during their walks.

The round tower on the right was called the Silver Tower; according to legend, royal treasures were hidden there

During the era of the French Revolution, the Conciergerie became a prison for “suspicious” people, from which the only way out was the guillotine. Prisoners were kept several people in a cell - their time in prison was usually short. After the verdict was pronounced, the death row prisoners had a farewell dinner, and in the morning a cart awaited them to the guillotine.

“The morning is execution, the usual feast for the people...” - as Pushkin wrote about the prisoners of the Conciergerie.

In September 1792, about a hundred prisoners died from lynching when an angry, drunken crowd of sans-culottes burst into the prison to “hang” the hated “enemies of the people” from the lanterns.

The revolutionary Marat approved the actions of “true patriots”; he called himself “Friend of the People” and published a newspaper of the same name. Soon he himself became a victim of lynching. He was killed by a girl - Charlotte Corday.

The painting "The Death of Marat" is by the artist Jacques-Louis David, who survived the king, the revolution, the directory and then painted portraits of Napoleon. Contemporaries called him "One of the most dishonest people of the era"

In the picture, Marat has an order in his hand - as if he was going to give money to a poor girl, and she killed him. In fact, Marat prepared to write down the names of the “enemies of the people” that Charlotte promised to name him. Therefore, he agreed to an audience with a stranger. Marat suffered from skin diseases and was forced to stay in the bath, so he received visitors in this form.

About the death of Marat our A.S. Pushkin wrote:

The fiend of rebellion raises an evil cry:
Despicable, dark and bloody,
Over the corpse of headless liberty
An ugly executioner appeared.

Apostle of doom, to weary Hades
With his finger he designated victims,
But the highest court sent him
You and the maiden Eumenides*.

*Eumenis is the ancient goddess of revenge.

Marie Anne Charlotte Corday d'Armont (better known as Charlotte Corday) was a French heroine, noblewoman, murderer of Jean Paul Marat, executed by the Jacobins.

The murdered Marat was revered as a martyr of the revolution; songs and odes were dedicated to him.
The poet Andre Chénier dared to speak out in defense of Charlotte Corday during the years of terror, and did not hide his admiration for her courageous act:
"Then, as in these days, poisoned by filth,
The scoundrels are moaning, some truly, some hypocritically,
Among the immortals, honoring his Marat,
And this idol is an arrogant servant,
Parnassian vile bastard, inhabitant of Parnassian mud
Screams his pathetic hymn at his altars.

Charlotte before execution. Women had their hair cut. All personal belongings, even clothes and shoes, were taken from the condemned person for the benefit of the revolution.

"...Oh, how your gentle appearance, maiden, deceived us,
When you have a rebellious plan in your depths,
Revenge merciless cherished, melting,
So quiet the sky in the windless azure
Sometimes there is the possibility of a wild storm,
Throwing lightning, disturbing the seas.

And brought to the vile place of execution,
You were beautiful, like a young bride,
A calm face and a clear clear gaze,
How you despised the blasphemy of the crowd,
Considering herself omnipotent and free
And with a cry of joy catching the sentence.

But with your feat comes gossip and our shame.
We - the sons of France - are silent, looking down.
For a moment you became a man, you put us to shame,
We are pathetic eunuchs, we are a choir of slave souls,
Mired in complaints, bogged down in women's sobs
Then, when the hour calls for dagger revenge."

The poet joined the list of “enemies of the people”, was arrested and sentenced to death.

"Servant of the People" reads out the list of those sentenced, the figure of Andre Chénier in the center

A.S. Pushkin described the last minutes before the execution of the poet Andre Chénier:
...lamps quiet light
Turned pale before the morning dawn,
And the morning blew into the dungeon. And the poet
He raised his eyes to the bars...
Suddenly there is a noise. They came, they called. They! There is no hope!
Keys, locks, and locks sound.
The name is... Wait, wait; day only, day one:
And there are no executions, and everyone is free,
And the great citizen lives
Among a great people.
They don't hear. The procession is silent. The executioner is waiting.
But friendship will enchant the poet's mortal path.
Here's the chopping block. He got up. He calls glory...
Cry, muse, cry!

The fate of the executed writer impressed Pushkin:
Meanwhile, the amazed world
He looks at Byron's urn,
And the choir of European lyres
Near Dante the shadow listens to him,

Another shadow is calling me,
For a long time without songs, without sobs
From the bloody scaffold in the days of suffering
The shade that has descended into the grave.

Singer of love, oak forests and peace
I bring funeral flowers.
An unknown lyre sounds.
I sing. He listens to me and you...

The first clock in Paris was installed on the tower of the Conciergerie (then a palace) in the 14th century, the original clock has been lost. The current version of the clock is the work of a master of the 16th century. The lower inscription reads: “This mechanism, dividing Time into twelve equal and fair parts, teaches to protect Justice and defend the Laws.”

During the years of the revolution, the phrase about “Protection of Justice” sounded ominous. It was as if they were counting down the last minutes of the prisoners’ lives.

"Bridge Changed" leading to the Conciergerie prison. The condemned followed it to execution. The bridge was rebuilt in 1860

The Conciergerie prison became a museum at the beginning of the 20th century - in 1914

Jean-Louis Prieur, Agessi brothers going to execution, February 8, 1790, 1802
Famous prisoners of the Conciergerie

People usually go to this gloomy building on the Île de la Cité, which was once the first residence of French kings and then became the oldest prison in Paris, to gaze at the place where VIPs of French history were imprisoned. And first of all, to the cell where Marie Antoinette languished for 76 days awaiting execution and where her wax figure now sits with her back to the public. Sitting nearby were Danton and Robespierre, executioners and victims of the revolution, poets and scientists, separatists and serial killers. And now, under the well-worn Gothic vaults, the population turned out to be even more motley: here real characters mixed with mythological ones - Joan of Arc, the Count of Monte Cristo, Napoleon, the Three Musketeers and Milady, Fanfan-Tulip, Madame DuBarry and Queen Margot, the same Danton and Marie Antoinette

Enguerrand de Marigny - advisor to King Philip IV of France.

He is famous for the fact that, along with some other close associates of Phillip IV, he participated in the destruction of the Templar Order. Since most bishops refused to participate in the process against the Templars, through the efforts of Enguerrand, his younger brother Jean de Marigny was given an episcopal degree so that he would condemn the Templars. After the death of the king Philip IV of Enguerrand fell out of favor with the new king, Louis X the Grumpy. Through the efforts of the young king's uncle, Charles of Valois, the minister was accused of many serious crimes (embezzlement, treason), with the help of false witnesses his guilt was confirmed and he was sentenced to hanging. De Marigny's wife was sentenced to prison. All their property passed into the state treasury. The fate of Enguerrand de Marigny can be learned from the first two novels of the “Cursed Kings” series by Maurice Druon: “The Iron King” and “The Prisoner of Château-Gaillard.”

Madame du Barry

The famous mistress of King Louis XU. Accused of spying for Britain

Francois Ravaillac

Arrested for the murder of Henry IV. Ravaillac was a Protestant fanatic who had a vision that he should kill the king. Sentenced to death - quartering, but the crowd did not allow the executioner to do his job and tore the king's killer to pieces. Ravaillac's descendants were sent into exile and changed their surname.

Count de Montgomery

Many people know it from the novel “The Two Dianas” by Alexandre Dumas. At a tournament in a duel he mortally wounded King Henry II. Then the count managed to avoid punishment - the tournament was fair, the winner could not be convicted. Gabriel de Montgomery was later arrested on charges of treason and executed.

Marquise de Brenvilliers

She became famous as a poisoner. Together with her accomplice-lover, she also poisoned her husband and children. The lover also confessed to the crimes, but then suddenly died.
The marquise is also mentioned in Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita”.

Cartouche

Louis-Dominique Bourguignon - famous robber

The son of an innkeeper, he became the chieftain of a gang in Paris and its environs. Supported by secret friends, he was not afraid of the police and acted with increasing courage. Extradited by one of the people close to him and sentenced to the wheel, Cartouche named his accomplices, including many ladies and nobles, only immediately before his execution. Cartouche’s adventures were repeatedly played out in popular fiction, as well as in cinema - in the film “Cartouche” (1962) and "Cartouche, the Noble Robber" (2009).

Chrétien Guillaume de Lamont de Maleserbes, lawyer, defender of Louis XV1

Philippe d'Orléans, deputy

Maximilian de Robespierre, revolutionary

Manon Roland, revolutionary, Girondist

Théophylle de Villot

French writer, poet, playwright

Countess de Lamotte

An adventurer, posing as a person of royal blood, tricked herself into obtaining the famous “Queen’s Necklace” (more on this separately).

"Civil execution" of the adventurer. She was publicly flogged with rods, and a brand with the letter “V”, which meant “thief,” was burned on her shoulder. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, but escaped from prison and moved to London. The countess took revenge on Marie Antoinette by publishing a scandalous book in England about the “personal life of the queen,” gossip from which the Jacobins later used to accuse Marie Antoinette.

Georges Jacques Danton, guillotined on April 5, 1794 in Paris, lawyer in the Soviets, politician, Russian, Minister of Justice.

All the Carmelites in Compiègne, sixteen nuns for “fanaticism and sedition.” Doesn’t remind you of anything?

Elizabeth Philippa Marie-Hélène de Bourbon. Sister of Louis XU!. Executed for company with him

Leader of the Venezuelan Revolution...executed.fought for the liberation of America from the Europeans

Jacques-René Hébert, born in Alençon on November 15, 1757 and guillotined in Paris on March 24, 1794, is a Russian politician and journalist.

All Girondins

Antoine de Lavoisier - famous chemist, physicist, scientist

Search and arrest of the scientist

Queen Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette to the Revolutionary Tribunal. Work by de Alphonse François after Paul de la Roche

Death sentence of Marie Antoinette by the revolutionary Tribunal.

The Queen found herself a prisoner in the same prison as the adventurer Countess de Lamotte. The queen, who spent a fortune on outfits and jewelry during her years of power, was allowed to take two dresses to prison - white and black. Executed by guillotine.

They watched the poor woman around the clock....

Someone is now talking about democracy and so on...they executed a woman, a queen...For what?

Only in 1914 did the Conciergerie cease to be a prison and was also recognized historical monument architecture of Paris, the former cells became open to the public.

Execution of Marie Antoinette's sentence on Revolution Square, October 16, 1793. (Anonymous. Carnavalet Museum).

These are the fruits of revolution...terror

And then monuments are erected...Monument to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, in the Abbey of Saint-Denis, France.

The name “Conciergerie” meant either the private mansion of a concierge or a prison attached to the judiciary.

When leaving the palace, the king entrusted its security to the concierge. Such an important position could only be held by very influential persons of high rank, including Queen Isabella of Bavaria.

"Rooms" for "common people"

Their decorations...

Under the Conciergerie, there was always a prison inside the palace walls. At the end of the 14th century, when the neighboring prison at Chatelet became overcrowded, some prisoners were transferred to the palace cells. In 1391 the building became an official prison. It held political prisoners, swindlers, and murderers.

The conditions in which criminals lived depended entirely on their wealth, status and connections.

Robespierre sat here

Courtyard for women with washing fountain

The royal chambers, the Galerie de Mercier, the Grand Entrance to the Powerful Tower, the merchants' gallery, which was once the busiest place in Paris, were destroyed by the fire of 1776. The reconstruction was entrusted to the architects Jacques Denis Antoine, Guillaume Martin Couture and Demaison. They demolished the Treasury of the Charters, the eastern wall of the palace, the Montgomery Tower and built the modern facade of the Palace of Justice, the Sainte-Chapelle gallery, new prison cells, and a chapel at the Conciergerie on the site of a 12th-century chapel.

The Conciergerie had a reputation as the harshest prison. During the revolutionary Terror, the cells accommodated several hundred prisoners, who were kept in terrible conditions. Until 1794, “suspicious” people were imprisoned in the same cells as those convicted of ordinary criminal offenses. After the verdict was announced, those sentenced to death could have a final feast.

Trials in France are public and often attract large audiences. The most high-profile trials at the Palace of Justice:

1880 - trial of Sarah Bernhardt for breaking her lifelong contract with the Comédie Française;

1888 Panama Company Bond
1893 - Panama scandal;

1898 - political trial of Emile Zola for his famous pamphlet “I Accuse”;

The public demotion of Alfred Dreyfus (ill. A. Meyer in Le Petit Journal of January 13, 1895)
1906 - condemnation of Dreyfus;

1917 - dancer and spy Mata Hari was accused of espionage and sentenced to death;

1932 - for the assassination of French President Paul Doux

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