The Conciergerie is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also included the Sainte-Chapelle. Two large medieval halls remain from the royal palace. During the French Revolution, 2,780 prisoners, including Marie Antoinette, were imprisoned, tried and sentenced at the Conciergerie, then sent to different sites to be executed by the guillotine. It is now a national monument and museum.
The Conciergerie
Plan of the Palace and Conciergerie in 1380 and 1754 (double-click for full size)
A banquet hosted by Charles V of France in honour of Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg in the Great Hall (1378)
Palais de la Cité in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1412-1416). Conciergerie at left rear
Île de la Cité is an island in the river Seine in the center of Paris. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of the area governor for the Roman Empire. In 508, Clovis I, the first King of the Franks, established his palace on the island. In the 12th century, it became an important religious center, the home of Notre-Dame cathedral, and the royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, as well as the city hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu. It is also the site of the city's oldest surviving bridge, the Pont Neuf.
Île de la Cité, in the center of Paris (2014)
Île de la Cité (2009)
Image of Jupiter on the Pillar of the Boatmen (1st century AD), Cluny, Musée National du Moyen Age
Archeological crypt under the Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul II