Conciergerie

The Conciergerie (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃sjɛʁʒəʁi]) (English: Lodge) 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.

Gallo-Roman fortress to Royal Palace (1st to 10th century AD)

In the 1st-3rd century AD, the

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  Plan of the Palace and Conciergerie in 1380 and 1754 (double-click for full size)
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  A banquet hosted by Charles V of France in honour of Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg in the Great Hall (1378)
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  Palais de la Cité in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (1412-1416). Conciergerie at left rear

From the 11th to the 14th century, the palace was enlarged and embellished, and gained in importance in the administration of the Kingdom. Before he departed on the Crusades, Philip II of France delegated his legal authority the Curia Regis, which had regular assemblies, called Parlements, in the Hall of the King, to dispense justice. He moved the royal archives to the building, giving it even greater importance, and named a Concierge, or custodian, to oversee the administration of the palace, which gave the building its name.^[2] Philip II created the towered facade on the Seine river side and the great hall. The great hall, with its two side-by-side naves, was used for royal ceremonies and judicial sessions. At one end was an immense table of black marble from Germany, decorated with fleurs-de-lis emblems. A piece of the table is now displayed on the wall of the lower hall. The hall was also decorated with polychrome wooden statues of the Kings of France. The "Grand Chronicles of France" by Jehan de Jandun described "A new palace, a marvelous and costly work, the most beautiful that France has ever seen."^[3] The only surviving portions of the great hall are the Hall of the Men-at-arms and the Hall of the Guards below.^[4]

Philip IV continued the rebuilding between 1285 and 1314. The Grand Hall was built, replacing a smaller earlier hall. The Grand Chamber became the official seat of the Parliament; and he added the silver tower and the Tower of Caesar.^[5]

Under

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  Conciergier (top left) in the 16th c., drawn by

  Eugene Viollet-le-Duc
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  Palais de la Cité in 1615
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  Grand Hall of the Palais de la Cité (1560 - destroyed in 17th c.)
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  Meeting of the Parlement of Paris in the Grand Chamber (1715)

Without the king as a permanent resident, the buildings underwent many changes to fit its judicial and prison role. Louis XII had the Chamber des Comptes reconstructed, and redecorated the Grand Chamber, used by the Parlement of Paris. A flood of the Seine in the winter of 1689-1690 caused damage to the lower building, while a fire in 1737 destroyed the Chamber des Comptes. It was rebuilt by Jacques Gabriel. Another fire within the palace in 1776 caused even greater damage, reaching the chamber of the King, the gallery of merchants, and the main tower. The reconstruction following the 1776 fire added new cells to the ground level of the Conciergerie, and replaced the 12th century oratory with the present Chapel.^[7]

The Conciergerie and the Reign of Terror

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  Conciergerie in 1790
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  "Rue de Paris" passage into the prison during the Revolution
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  Marie Antoinette leaves the Conciergerie on the way to her execution

The Palais de la Cité and the Conciergerie played a central role in the French Revolution. On May 5, 1788, The

The Queen, Marie Antoinette, was arrested on August 3, 1792, and first held in the Temple Prison with her family. The King was tried between December 3 and December 26, 1792, and executed 21 January 1793. The Queen was transferred from the Temple to the Conciergerie on the night of August 1–2, 1793. She was confined in a single-bed cell on the ground floor overlooking the Women's Courtyard. She was not allowed any writing instruments, and was continually watched by two gendarmes. After several unsuccessful plots to free her were discovered, she was transferred to a different cell, where the current memorial chapel is located, and held there for forty-four days. She was questioned in her cell on October 12, and was charged with three crimes: collusion with Austria, excessive expenditure, and opposing the Revolution. Another charge, having incestuous relations with her son, was added during the trial.^[9] Her trial began on October 14, 1793, in the former Great Hall of the Palace. She had two court-appointed lawyers, but they were only allowed less than a day to prepare their case. The trial lasted for two days, in which forty-one witnesses testified. The trial concluded on 16 October 1793; she was, as expected, sentenced to death, and taken in a cart later that day to the guillotine, set up on Place de la Revolution, now Place de la Concorde.^[10]

During the period of 1793–94, at the height of the Terror, the prison held some six hundred prisoners. Most prisoners were transferred to the Conciergerie from other prisons, and spent only a few days before their trial and sentencing, or at most a few weeks. Political and criminal prisoners were mixed together.^[11] Poorer prisoners were confined in collective cells on the lowest level, with straw-covered floors. These prisoners were called "Pailleaux", or "Straw sleepers." Others were confined a square cell six feet wide and six feet long, with a narrow barred window. A small number of wealthier prisoners were able to bribe guards to have cells with two folding beds. These prisoners could send and receive mail, have their clothes washed, and sometime have visitors. These prisoners were called "Pistoliers," because they bribed the guards with pistole coins. However, these privileges ceased as the prison became more crowded and the Terror reached its peak.^[12]

In the spring of 1794, the tribunal began judging the moderate revolutionary leaders, including

In August, the head of the tribunal, Fouquier-Tinville, was arrested and tried. He argued that "the execution of the laws, justice and humanity were always my sole rules of conduct", but he was confined for nine months in the Conciergerie, and went to the guillotine on May 7, 1795. The tribunal was abolished on May 31, 1795. In seven hundred eighty days, the tribunal had sentenced and executed 2,780 prisoners.[14]

The early revolutionary period continued the prison's tradition of interning prisoners based on wealth, such that wealthier prisoners could rent a bed for 27 livres 12 sous for the first month, 22 livres 10 sous for subsequent months. Even when the price was decreased to 15 livres, the commanders of the prison made a fortune; as the Terror escalated, a prisoner could pay for a bed and be executed a few days later, freeing the bed for a new inmate who would then pay as well. One memoirist termed the Conciergerie "the most lucrative furnished lodgings in Paris".^[15] For most prisoners, the cramped cells were infested with rats, and the stench of urine permeated every room. As the Terror reached its peak, the special privileges for wealthy prisoners were largely reduced and ceased.

The prisoners, except those locked in the dungeons, were allowed to walk about the prisoners' gallery from 8 a.m. to an hour before sunset. Roll call was always a tortuous proceeding because many of the jailers were illiterate and it could take hours for them to confirm that all of the prisoners were accounted for. A principal jailer, who sat by the door, determined whether visitors would be allowed inside the prison. His decision depended more on his mood than any set proceedings. He was also in charge of resolving disputes between jailers and their charges.

Each evening, the prisoners gathered in the courtyard outside the Tour Bonbec to hear the reading of the list of prisoners who would be tried the following day.

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  Conciergerie under reconstruction - 1857-58 (Musée Carnavalet)
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  Interior of Conciergerie in 1936

After the

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  North facade of the Conciergerie: Horloge (left); Caesar and Silver (center); Tour Bonbec (right)
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  The Tour de l'Horloge, or clock tower (14th and 16th century)
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  The clock on the Tour de l'Horloge (14th century)

The four medieval towers of the north facade, along the Quai de l'Horloge between the Cour de Cassation and the Boulevard du Palais, are the most prominent exterior vestiges of the old Conciergerie.

The Tour Bonbec is a circular tower with

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  Hall of the Men-at-arms
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  Spiral stairway from the Hall of the Men-at-Arms to the Great Hall above
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  Fragment of the early decoration
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  The "Rue de Paris" passage through the prison

The Hall of the Men-at-Arms (Salle des Gens d'Armes) was built in early 14th century by Philip IV on the ground floor. Its great size (originally 68 meters (223 feet) long, now 61.2 meters (201 feet), 28 meters (92 feet) wide, and 8.7 meters (29 feet) high to the vault), makes it the largest non-religious Gothic hall in Europe.^[22] It served as a dining room and gathering place for the armed guards and servants attached to the palace, who numbered between one and two thousand persons. During the reign of Philip IV parts of the hall were sometimes used for the meetings of special commissions appointed by the King to investigate problems in the royal institutions in the French provinces. These parts would be separated from the rest of the hall by partitions or tapestries during the meetings.

The hall particularly provided staff and services for the Great Hall, located directly above it on the first floor. The lower hall was connected with upper hall by spiral staircases; part of one stairway is still in place. The hall was divided into four naves by a row of massive pillars in the center, flanked by two rows of cylindrical columns. Heat was provided by four large fireplaces around the hall. Thanks to the support of the columns and pillars, the hall originally had large windows, which were mostly sealed off in the 17th century when the Galerie Dauphine was built, though traces of them are still visible on the south wall.^[23]

In 1364, when Charles V left the palace, the hall was modified for its new prison functions. the last bay on the west was raised in height and separated by bars from the rest of the hall. This became the "Rue de Paris", the secure route to the prison cells, named after "Monsieur de Paris", the nickname of the city's executioner.^[23]

Hall of the Guards

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  Hall of the Guards
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  Sculptural decoration of Hall of the Guards (19th c.)
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  Hall of the Guards

The Hall of the Guards (Salle des Gardes) was built by Philip IV at the same time as the Hall of the Men-at-Arms, in the early 14th century. It is on the north or the old palace, between the Tower of Caesar and Silver Tower and the Seine, and the private garden of the King on the west. It was first occupied by The Royal Guard, and later was used as the antechamber of the Parliament, which was located directly above. It is smaller than the Hall of the Men-art-Arms, 21.8 meters long, 11.7 meters wide, and 8.3 meters high. The rib-vaulted vaulted roof, supported by three massive pillars, divides it into two naves. Like the hall of the Men-at-Arms, it was connected with the room above by a spiral stairway.^[24][25]

When King Charles V moved the royal residence from the City Palace to the Louvre, the Hall of the Guards was converted into a prison. It was divided into dungeons for destitute prisoners. called "pailleux" or "Straw-sleepers", who were fed with only bread and water, and slept on the floor. It was usually overcrowded, with prisoners sometimes required to sleep in shifts. From 1780 onwards, male prisoners were able to get some exercise in the neighbouring courtyard. During the Reign of Terror, the Hall was used to confine prisoners before their trials in the courtroom of the Revolutionary Tribunal, in the hall above. The cells became so crowded that a second level, built of wood and accessed by ladders, was put into place. The Hall was restored in the 19th century by architect Antoine Marie Peyrle, who added some decorative details, including sculpture on the capitals of the columns.^[24][25]

Kitchen

The kitchen pavilion was added in about 1353, shortly after the other large halls. Placed in the northwest corner, it was set slightly apart from the rest of the building, to reduce the risk of fire. It was originally installed on two levels, with the food of the royal family and guests prepared on the upper level, and for the staff on the lower level. When the King was in residence, meals were prepared in a large hearth on the upper floor, or prepared in the lower kitchen and taken upstairs on an outside ramp, no longer extant. The kitchen originally had eight large windows, but all but two were walled up after it became a prison. Sometimes both the upper and lower kitchens were employed for an event, such as the Banquet of the Three Kings on 6 January 1378, held by Charles V to welcome his uncle, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, and his cousin Wenceslaus, King of the Romans. The upstairs and downstairs kitchens worked together to prepare a banquet of three courses with ten dishes in each course, served in the Grand Hall to the royal guests and to eight hundred German and French knights.^[26]

Prisoners' Corridor

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  Office of the concierge, or guardian
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  Display of locks, keys and handcuffs
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  A cell for prisoners who could pay for their bed and board

The upper level of the Conciergerie was considerably rebuilt in the 19th and 20th century. Nearly all of the original cells, including that of Marie Antoinette, were demolished and replaced with new rooms. After the prison was closed and became a museum, some of the new rooms were turned into galleries. In 1989 three rooms were recreated to depict the administrative function of the prison. The first is the cell-like office of the registrar who received the incoming prisoners, enter their names into a large book, and take their belongings. This office was originally located on the ground floor, near the Cour du Mai, the main entrance of prison, where prisoners arrived. Prisoners were then taken to their cells along the Prisoner's Corridor, which extended the length of the building. Next to the recreated registrar's office is a recreation of the office of the Concierge, the warden of the prison. The third recreated room is the Grooming Room, where prisoners were taken on the day of their execution. They undressed and put on a special collarless tunic, and their hair was cut to make easier the passage of the guillotine blade through their neck.^[27]

In addition to these rooms, the corridor has three recreations of prison cells, and four rooms displaying objects and documents illustrating the history of the building and the major events of Revolution.

Hall of Names and Prisoner's Chapel

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  A recreated cell used as an exhibit hall
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  Hall of Names; attached to the walls are the names of the more than four thousand persons sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal
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  Altar of the Prisoner's Chapel of the Conciergerie. Behind the curtain is the Memorial chapel to Marie Antoinette.
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  Women's Gallery in the Chapel of the Conciergerie

The Hall of Names has walls covered with the names of more than four thousand persons who were tried and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Most of the prisoners came from middle or lower class, though twenty percent were from the former nobility and clergy. Between spring 1793 and 1794, nearly half the prisoners tried by the Tribunal left the prison alive, but that number dropped to only twenty percent between spring 1793 and 1794, the period of the

The Prisoner's Chapel was rebuilt in 1776, after a fire that destroyed the earlier oratory. It is little changed from the time of the Revolution. The altar, confessional and the large crucifix date to the 18th century. Women could attend the services seated separately on the upper level, behind bars. Black curtains behind the altar cover the entrance to the memorial chapel dedicated to Marie Antoinette. The chapel was probably used as a cell during the Terror, when the prison was particularly overcrowded.[29]

Memorial Chapel or Marie Antoinette Chapel

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  Marie Antoinette Chapel, on the site of her cell, with teardrop motif on black marble
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  The single window of the Memorial Chapel, with initials of Marie Antoinette
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  Paintings of Marie Antoinette in the Memorial Chapel

The original cell of Marie Antoinette was destroyed after the restoration of the monarchy and was replaced in 1815 by the Memorial Chapel, dedicated to her, on the site of her cell. It was commissioned by Louis XVIII, brother of the executed Louis XVI, It contains a marble monument dedicated to the Queen, with "The Queen's Testament", and three paintings of the Queen depicting her imprisonment. The only light in the chapel comes from a single stained glass window, and the black faux-marble walls are marked with stone teardrops.^[26]

Women's Courtyard

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  Courtyard for women prisoners, little changed since 18th century
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  Women's courtyard, with fountain

The Women's courtyard, where Marie Antoinette and other women prisoners were allowed to exercise, is little changed from the time of the Revolution. The arcades, garden, stone table, and fountain where prisoners could wash their garments, date from that period. At the back of the garden, in the northeast corner, is a small triangular area separated from the women's courtyard by a gate. This area belonged to the men's prison, and was probably used for the secure transfer of prisoners.^[30]

See also

• List of tourist attractions in Paris

Notes and citations

Sources

• Busson, Didier (2001). Paris ville antique (in French). Monum- Éditions du Patrimoine.
  ISBN 978-2-85822-368-8
  .
• de Parseval, Béatrice; Mazeau, Guillaume (2019). La Conciergerie - Palais de la Cité (in French). Paris: Editions du Patrimoine- Centre des Monuments historiques.
  ISBN 978-2-7577-0667-1
  .

• Delon, Monique (2000). La Conciergerie - Palais de la Cité (in French). Paris: Editions du Patrimoine- Centre des Monuments historiques.
  ISBN 978-2-85822-298-8
  .
• Fierro, Alfred (1996). Histoire et dictionnaire de Paris (in French). Robert Laffont.
  ISBN 2-221--07862-4
  .
• Lorentz, Phillipe; Sandron, Dany (2006). Atlas de Paris au Moyen Âge (in French). Paris: Parigramme. pp. 238 pp.
  ISBN 2-84096-402-3
  .
• "The Conciergerie."^{[permanent dead link]} Ministère De La Justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conciergerie.

• Official website
• Base Mérimée: Palais de Justice ou Conciergerie, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)