The history and purpose of this Parisian landmark can be called pleasant only up to a certain point. Established on the Isle of Cité as a royal residence, it had a bad reputation in the Middle Ages. And today the Conciergerie in Paris houses the court and the prosecutor's office, and once it served as a prison at all, where hundreds of rebels were killed during the French Revolution.
The first residence of the king
Back in the 6th century, the then ruler of the Franks, Clovis, preferred the Cite island to all other places and built the first royal residence here. It was the predecessor of the Conciergerie in Paris - a palace that barely outlived its owner. After the death of Clovis, the present capital again lost the presence of royalty due to the move of the court to the east.
The monarchs returned four hundred years later, and since then the era of restructuring began in the Conciergerie. The kings erected more and more outbuildings, towers, halls and residences, strengthened the walls and defensive structures, built chapels and prayer houses, and in every possible way improved the palace territory.
Luxury Conciergerie Times
In the XIV century, Philip the Handsome was on the throne, turning the residence, in full accordance with his own nickname, into the most luxurious palace in the Old World. Royal grandeur was reflected by tables of black marble, polychrome sculptures of predecessor monarchs and the Silver Tower. But by the end of the century, the courtyard moved to the Louvre, and a dark new page was opened in the history of the Conciergerie in Paris.
Transformed into the Palace of Justice, the building received criminals of all ranks and stripes as residents, among whom were ordinary petty thieves and political prisoners. Fate played a cruel joke with Philip the Handsome's advisor Angerrand de Marigny, who built the castle. Falling out of favor with another monarch, he became one of the first prisoners of his own brainchild. Queen Marie Antoinette also languished in the local dungeons before she was beheaded on charges of counter-revolution.
Useful little things
- The Conciergerie premises in Paris are open for guided tours from April to September from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm. From October to March, the opening hours of the museum change somewhat - it starts receiving guests at 10 am and closes at 5 pm.
- The last visitor can enter the museum half an hour before closing.
- The days off when the Conciergerie is closed are January 1, May 1, November 1 and 11, and December 25.
