Conciergerie - a temple of death

If you are exploring the Ile de la Cite, in Paris, and you are planning to visit the Sainte-Chapelle, you might as well tack on a visit to the Conciergerie, right next door.

Originally built over the remains of a Roman palace, the first small palace of Merovingian kings was turned into a grandiose castle by the Capetian dynasty's successive kings. Philip Augustus, Louis IX and Philip IV transformed it into a residence.

 The Conciergerie, an important remnant of the palace, provides a remarkable example of 14th century civil architecture with the Salle des Gens d'Armes (1302), Salle des Gardes and the historic kitchens.
Other than the Saint-Chapelle, the lower parts of the the palace are all that remain of the medieval royal residence. They served the needs of the king and his family and substantial staff, totalling 2000 people.

Almost the entire lower level of the palace was turned into a prison in the 15th century; you can visit the dungeons, as well as the Chapel where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner during the French Revolution and which is now dedicated to her memory.

The site is presently used mostly for law courts. It was part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cite, which comprised the Conciergerie, Palais de Justice and the Sainte-Chapelle. During the French Revolution hundreds of prisoners were taken from the Conciergerie to be executed by guillotine at various locations around Paris.

Three towers survive from the medieval Conciergerie: the Caesar Tower, named in honor of the Roman Emperors; the Silver Tower, named for its supposed use as the store for the royal treasure; and the Bonbec Tower, named for the torture chamber that it housed. The building was extended during the reigns of later kings, with France's first public clock being installed about 1370. The current clock dates from 1535.

The dungeons, which have not been used for the last thirty years, are twenty-three feet in length by eleven and a half in height. Depending on the financial resources of  prisoners they could have a personal cell or have to share with many others. They could be afforded pen and paper and occasional visitors or they could be lying on the floor in communal excrement.

Marie Antoinette spent her last days here and went through the normal prisoner preparation for the guillotine. Her young son aged 10 who became known as Louis XVII (though he was much too young to be crowned, even in monarchist times) died a miserable death here from sickness and neglect. Only one of her children, Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, lived past the age of 11, survived the Revolution and went into exile.

There are various exhibitions including audiovisual ones you can view during your visit and there is a souvenir shop. There isn't much available in English, alas, other than a couple of books. Notable things to see are examples of locks and bolts, the flood level indicator to show just how high the Seine flooded in 1910, a prison guard's office and an administration office.

Visitors can view the largest fireplaces I've ever seen by visiting the site of the old kitchens. They were built in 1350-1364 by John the Good. There's nothing else to see there though.

There's a fair bit on the Revolution. The prison quickly filled with suspects, accused of threatening the Republic. A visual presentation allows you to follow the lives of prisoners whose conditions depended on their own financial resources.

Palais de la Cite
2 boulevard du Palais
75001 Paris
Average length of visit 1+ hours