As with most buildings in Paris, La Conciergerie is pleasing on the eyes. It can almost get lost with so many historical relics within a short span, but the history here is one not to forget.
La Conciergerie, Paris has been a Gothic Palace, and a Royal Residence, until the 14th century. Charles V appointed a steward (Concierge) and made part of the palace a Prison.
It became the most famous place of detention in France during the French Revolution, with the most renowned prisoner, Marie-Antoinette. This oldest prison in Paris currently used as law courts is still heavily guarded.
entering the “Hall of Soldiers”
An unassuming doorway and down some steps leads you to one of the most visually beautiful rooms I’ve seen. The columns branch up into a steep arched roofline much like a cathedral.
This Gothic room began its life in 1302, and here we are with our twenty-first-century cameras and cell phones capturing images of this magnificent time capsule.
Soft, dappled light seeps through the windows, dancing across the face of ancient brickwork. A little further along, hanging on the wall, is a piece of black marble from the fourteenth century. It was once a table used for royal banquets in the great hall.
the prison cells
Passing the restrooms and souvenir shop, we found ourselves in the Prisoners’ Corridor.
In 1989, three linked cells were recreated for the French Revolution bicentennial, to show the severe conditions of that time.
Here we see the desk of the Clerk, who was responsible for registering names of all inmates entering and leaving the prison, in the Registre d’Écrour. So it was known who was in the Conciergerie daily.
Another of the three rooms is the “Grooming room,” where the condemned prisoners would lose their hair to facilitate ease for the guillotine blade.
It is estimated that over 2,500 prisoners met their end in this fashion, including Marie Antoinette. (Some of her personal items are on display).
room of names
The room of names truly is quite a moving experience. It is a simple room, but the weight it carries is significant. Here is a snippet from an information plaque.
“More n 4,000 people’s names are inscribed on these walls. They were tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal between 1793 and 1795. Whether they were executed, acquitted or sentenced to other sanctions, they all spent at least a few days in the Conciergerie.
Immediately after the Revolution, the lists of the victims of The Terror were cultivated like a kind of fashion. Keeping the memory of those who were guillotined was a way of honouring them as martyrs and resisting the Republic. Manufactured as weapons of combat against the Revolution, these lists only included the people who were sentenced to death.”
the chapel
The Chapel, located on the King’s medieval place of prayer, was used as a shared cell during the Revolution.
In 1816, a chapel, on the site of Marie-Antoinette’s cell, was erected. It is linked to the Conciergerie’s prison chapel by a small vestibule. The stained glass window emblazoned with the initials MA.
slide show of the chapel – la conciergerie, Paris
the woman’s courtyard – La Conciergerie
The courtyard has barely changed since the French Revolution and is where the female prisoners spent most of the day. It was here the ladies would eat and wash their clothes.
“Corner of the Twelve” is a smaller courtyard and part of the men’s prison. Railings surround it.
Two floors of dungeons enclose the courtyard, and there is writing on one of the stones with the date 1910.
The cells were divided into sections. On the ground floor were the basic cells which had straw on the floor for bedding. The more wealthy prisoners were housed on the first floor.
The picture below is that of Marie-Antoinette being escorted by the guards for her last journey – to the guillotine.
A short video about marie-antoinette’s last day
our takeaway
One thing that we both thought was how awful it must have been. Knowing your final days were lived in filth waiting to be beheaded. The humiliation of having your hair cut off. A guillotine that wasn’t sharp as you’d expect, taking several attempts to cut through the neck. I shudder just thinking about it!
in a nutshell
- Address: 2 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris
- Opening hours: 9.30 am – 6 pm Mon-Sun. Fee €9
- Metro: lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14 Bus: 21, 24, 27, 38, 58, 81, 85 and Balabus RER: lines B and C Follow the Seine banks to Ile de la Cité
- Near Notre Damme, The Archeological Crypt, and walking distance from the Louvre
- Average visiting time: 75 minutes
- Free with Museum Pass and Paris Pass
location map of La Conciergerie, Paris
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