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Conciergerie |
La Conciergerie located at Ile de la Cité is the oldest part of the first royal palace in Paris. It first started as a Merovingian palace and continued occupied by Medieval kings. The most notabel expansions were done under Louis IX (Saint Louis) who was in charge from 1226-1270 and Phillip the Fair who reigned from 1285-1314.
Saint Chapelle was added by Louis IX whereas the tower facades and the famous hall were added by Philippe IV.
It was not until 1358 that the Conciergerie was left in favor of the Louvre by Charles V.
In 1394 Conciergerie was turned into a prison for criminals as well as political prisoners.
It was not until the French Revolution that La Conciergerie became very famous as it held prisoners to be guillotined during the Reign of Terror. Unfortunatley, for about two years, the Great Hall was used by a Tribunal who sent most of the prisoners to their death bed. Marie Antoinette was one of the unlucky ones held at Conciergerie. Later on Napoeleon III spend time in this prison as well. During the 19th century the Conciergerie was extensively renovated which gave it its current look.Currently, Conciergerie is part of the Palais de Justice. As a result not all portions of this massive architecture are open to the public. However, some people may still find it interesting.
Particularty worth visiting may be Marie Antoinette's cell which later was turned into a chapel in her memory and the torture dungeons.
Hours of Operation:
Open everyday. (may change at any time)
March 1 - October 31 from 9:30am - 6:00 pm
November 1 - February 28/29th from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Customer reviews for Conciergerie
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Number of Reviews: 1
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| 0 of 0 people found the following review helpful: |
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Conciergie is Very Interesting, Dec 03, 2008 |
| reviewer: Alane
from Los Angeles, CA USA |
| Great place to visit to get a feel for the conditions Marie Antoinette experienced before she was beheaded. |
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