Conciergerie

Gallo-Roman fortress

During the 1st-3rd century AD, the Ile de la Cité was incorporated into the Gallo-Roman city of Lutetia, which was located on the opposite side of the Seine. The island was encompassed by a wall, and a Roman governor's fortress was erected at its western end. Later, King Clovis of the Merovingian dynasty established his capital on the island in the 6th century, where the Roman fortress once stood. The Carolingian monarchs moved their capital elsewhere, but in the late 10th century, Paris became the capital of the Kingdom of the Franks under Hugh Capet. He constructed a vast and fortified residence, known as the Palais de la Cité, on the same site.

11th-14th century

During the 11th to the 14th century, the palace underwent expansions and renovations, becoming an important administrative center for the Kingdom. Before leaving for the Crusades, Philip II of France delegated his legal authority to the Curia Regis, which held regular assemblies called Parlements in the palace's Hall of the King to administer justice. He also moved the royal archives to the building and appointed a Concierge to oversee its administration, giving the palace its name. Philip II added a towered facade on the Seine river side and a great hall, which had two naves and was used for royal ceremonies and judicial sessions. The Grand Hall was built during the reign of Philip IV, replacing an earlier hall, and became the official seat of Parliament.

However, under Charles V, the palace's role changed as he moved his residence to the Louvre Palace and the Hotel Saint-Pol. The Concierge gained greater authority over lower and middle courts, and the building gradually became known as the "Conciergerie," with prison cells added to its lower levels. Its prisoners included both common criminals and political prisoners, with their treatment dependent on their wealth, status, and associates. Wealthy prisoners had their own cells with beds and materials for reading and writing, while less affluent prisoners could pay for simply furnished cells called "pistoles." The poorest prisoners were confined to dark, damp, and vermin-infested cells known as "oubliettes" and were often left to die in unsanitary conditions ideal for the spread of diseases like the plague.

15th-18th century

The absence of the king as a permanent resident led to significant changes in the buildings to suit their judicial and prison functions. During the reign of Louis XII, the Chamber des Comptes was reconstructed, and the Grand Chamber, used by the Parliament of Paris, was redecorated. However, the lower building suffered significant damage during the flood of the Seine in the winter of 1689-1690, while a fire in 1737 destroyed the Chamber des Comptes, which was later rebuilt by Jacques Gabriel. Unfortunately, the palace was struck by another devastating fire in 1776, causing extensive damage to the King's chamber, the gallery of merchants, and the main tower. The reconstruction that followed this fire involved the addition of new cells to the ground level of the Conciergerie, and the replacement of the 12th century oratory with the present Chapel.

18th-19th century

The Palais de la Cité and the Conciergerie played a significant role during the French Revolution. In 1788, the Parliament of Paris, located in the Great Hall of the Palace, refused to comply with the King's order and was subsequently dismissed by the new Constituent Assembly in 1790. The first Paris Commune and Sans Culottes later seized the Tuileries Palace in 1792, took over the government, and gained control of the Conciergerie. The September Massacres occurred when the Communard militants killed over 1300 prisoners, including a large group executed in the Women's Courtyard of the Conciergerie.

The Revolutionary Tribunal was established in the Palace's Grand Chamber in 1793, and Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville was appointed as the public prosecutor. Trials were quick, public, and attracted large crowds, with verdicts that could not be appealed. The number of monthly executions drastically increased with the enactment of the Law of Suspects, condemning anyone deemed a counter-revolutionary or enemy of the republic to death.

The Queen, Marie-Antoinette, was imprisoned in the Temple Prison with her family before being transferred to the Conciergerie. She was confined to a cell, continually watched by guards, and charged with multiple crimes, including collusion with Austria and opposing the Revolution. Her trial took place in the former Great Hall of the Palace, and she was sentenced to death and executed by guillotine on the Place de la Revolution.

During the Terror of 1793-94, the Conciergerie held approximately 600 prisoners, mostly transferred from other prisons for a few days or weeks before their trial and sentencing. The prisoners were a mix of political and criminal offenders, with poorer prisoners confined to collective cells with straw-covered floors, and others confined to small square cells with narrow windows. Wealthier prisoners could bribe guards for better cells, but as the prison became more crowded and the Terror intensified, these privileges ceased.

In the spring of 1794, the tribunal began trying and sentencing moderate revolutionary leaders, including Danton and Camille Desmoulins, and even Madame Elizabeth, Louis XVI's sister, for "belonging to the Family of the Tyrant." The court procedure was modified to allow for speedier trials without witnesses, and by June, an average of 38 people were being tried and sentenced to death each day. Two-thirds of prisoners tried during this time were sentenced to death, and at the peak of the Reign of Terror, four out of five prisoners faced the same fate.

In July, more moderate revolutionaries turned against Robespierre and other radical leaders, and Robespierre was arrested and later guillotined. The head of the tribunal, Fouquier-Tinville, was also arrested and tried, and the tribunal was abolished in May 1795 after sentencing and executing 2,780 prisoners in just over two years.

Throughout the early revolutionary period, wealthier prisoners could rent better beds for a high price, but as the Terror escalated, even these privileges were largely reduced or eliminated. The cramped cells were infested with rats, and the stench of urine was pervasive. Roll call was a tedious process, and visitors were allowed at the discretion of the principal jailer. Each evening, the prisoners gathered in the courtyard to hear the next day's list of those to be tried, and once sentenced, prisoners were taken to the Salle de la Toilette to have their belongings confiscated before being carted off to the guillotine. Some notable prisoners held at the Conciergerie included André Chénier, Charlotte Corday, Madame Élisabeth, Madame du Barry, and the 21 Girondins.

19th century to present

The Conciergerie served as a courthouse and prison after the Restoration of the Bourbons in 1814, and housed several notable prisoners, including Marshal Ney and Georges Cadoudal. In 1812, architect A.M. Peyrle began restoring and rebuilding portions of the palace and Conciergerie, including the addition of a memorial chapel to Marie-Antoinette. Later, between 1847 and 1871, the architects Joseph Louis Duc and Étienne Thédore Dommey constructed a new facade for the Ministry of Justice, restored the medieval halls of the Conciergerie, and built a new building for the Cour de Cassation. However, their work was interrupted by the Paris Commune uprising in 1871, during which the new Palais de Justice was badly damaged by fire. The restoration and reconstruction efforts continued for another twenty years, and the Palace was finally completed with the finishing of the Tribunal Correctionnel between 1904 and 1914. Sections of the Conciergerie were opened to tourists in 1914, and the prison was definitively closed in 1934. Despite its turbulent history, the Conciergerie remains an important historical landmark and tourist attraction in Paris.

The Towers and facades

The most prominent exterior remnants of the old Conciergerie are the four medieval towers along the Quai de l'Horloge between the Cour de Cassation and the Boulevard du Palais. The oldest tower, Tour Bonbec, is a circular tower with battlements and a conical slate roof located at the west end of the Conciergerie, constructed in the 13th century under Louis IX. In the 19th century, it was raised to its current height and form under Napoleon III. The tower's name comes from the slang word "Bon Bec," which refers to the torture chamber located in this tower during the Reign of Terror, where prisoners who spoke freely under torture were referred to as "Good talkers."

The gateway on the north is flanked by two circular towers with conical roofs, constructed in the early 14th century by Philippe IV. The Caesar Tower on the left is named after the Roman Emperors who lived on the island during the Gallic Wars. The Silver Tower on the right was used to store part of the royal treasury. In 1793–94, during the Terror, the chief prosecutor of the Revolutionary Tribunal had his offices in the two towers, close to the courtroom of the Tribunal.

The Tour de l'Horloge, or clock tower, is the tallest tower of the Conciergerie, completed in 1350. It served as both a watchtower and clock tower and was embellished with a new face and decorations during the reign of King Henri III of France. The current facades were built later than the towers, in Gothic Revival style in the 19th century. The eastern section around the entrance was built during the Bourbon Restoration, while the western section was built in the second half of the 19th century under Emperor Louis Napoleon. The building was badly damaged by fire during the Paris Commune in 1871 but was rebuilt in the late 19th century.

The Hall of the Men-at-Arms

Constructed in the early 14th century by Philip IV, the Hall of the Men-at-Arms (Salle des Gens d'Armes) is located on the ground floor of the palace. With its enormous size of 61.2 meters (201 feet) in length, 28 meters (92 feet) in width, and 8.7 meters (29 feet) in height, it is the largest Gothic hall in Europe that is not used for religious purposes. Originally used as a dining room and gathering place for the armed guards and servants of the palace, the hall also hosted special commissions appointed by the King to investigate problems in the royal institutions.

The lower hall was connected to the Great Hall located directly above it on the first floor by spiral staircases, and it provided staff and services for the upper hall. The hall was divided into four naves by a row of massive pillars in the center and flanked by two rows of cylindrical columns. The hall was originally equipped with large windows that were mostly sealed off in the 17th century when the Galerie Dauphine was constructed, although some traces of them can still be seen on the south wall.

When Charles V vacated the palace in 1364, the hall was repurposed as a prison. The last bay on the west was raised in height and separated by bars from the rest of the hall, becoming the "Rue de Paris," the secure route to the prison cells named after the city's executioner, "Monsieur de Paris."

Hall of the Guards

The Salle des Gardes, constructed in the early 14th century along with the Hall of the Men-at-Arms by Philip IV, was located in the old palace on the north between the Tower of Caesar and Silver Tower and the Seine, with the King's private garden to the west. It served as the Royal Guard's quarters before being converted to the Parliament's antechamber, situated directly above it. Smaller than the Hall of the Men-at-Arms, it had a rib-vaulted roof, supported by three pillars, and was divided into two naves. During Charles V's reign, it became a prison for destitute prisoners, called "pailleux" or "Straw-sleepers," and was later used during the Reign of Terror to confine prisoners before their trials in the courtroom above. The Hall was restored in the 19th century, adding decorative details to the capitals of the columns.

Kitchen

Built in 1353, the kitchen pavilion was added to the large halls of the building, positioned in the northwest corner to minimize fire risks. Originally designed with two levels, the upper floor was used to prepare food for the royal family and guests while the lower level was for the staff. During the King's stay, meals were cooked on the upper floor hearth or downstairs and transported using an outdoor ramp that no longer exists. The kitchen had eight windows, but six were sealed when it became a prison. The upper and lower kitchens worked together for events like the Banquet of the Three Kings, serving three courses with ten dishes each to guests.

Prisoners' Corridor

During the 19th and 20th century, the upper level of the Conciergerie underwent significant reconstruction, resulting in the demolition of most original cells, including Marie-Antoinette's, and the creation of new rooms, some of which were turned into galleries when the prison became a museum. In 1989, three rooms were reconstructed to represent the prison's administrative functions, including the registrar's cell-like office and the warden's office. The Grooming Room, where prisoners prepared for execution, was also recreated. Additionally, the corridor now has three recreated prison cells and four rooms showcasing historical artifacts and documents related to the Revolution.

Hall of Names and Prisoner's Chapel

The Hall of Names displays the names of over 4,000 individuals who were sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal. The majority of these prisoners were from the middle and lower classes, while about 20% were from the nobility and clergy. During the Great Terror period of spring 1793-1794, only 20% of those tried left the prison alive, whereas nearly half did so before that time. Visitors can access the biographies of 50 famous prisoners executed during the Terror using a touch screen. The Prisoner's Chapel, reconstructed in 1776 after a fire, has changed little since the Revolution, with an altar, confessional, and large crucifix dating back to the 18th century. Women could attend services on the upper level, separated by bars. The thermal memorial chapel dedicated to Marie Antoinette lies behind black curtains behind the altar and may have served as a cell during the Terror when overcrowding was particularly severe.

Memorial Chapel or Marie-Antoinette Chapel

Marie-Antoinette's former cell was demolished and replaced by the Memorial Chapel in 1815, commissioned by Louis XVIII. It features a marble monument, "The Queen's Testament," and three paintings of her imprisonment. The chapel has a single stained glass window and black faux-marble walls with stone teardrop markings.

Women's Courtyard

The Women's courtyard, which served as a exercising ground for female prisoners, including Marie-Antoinette, remains largely unaltered since the time of the Revolution. The arcades, garden, stone table, and fountain, which allowed prisoners to wash their clothes, all date back to that era. Positioned at the back of the garden, in the northeast corner, is a small triangular space that was fenced off from the women's courtyard by a gate. This area was formerly part of the men's prison and might have been employed for the safe transportation of inmates.