Le Conciergerie.

The Conciergerie was built by King Philip the Fair (1285-1314), the grandson of Saint Louis, who had the palace remodelled and expanded.

The Guardroom, the Hall of men-at-arms and the Rue de Paris have survived and provided one of the finest examples of medieval secular architecture.

Until the second half of the XIVth century, the history of the Conciergerie is intertwined with that of the Palais de la Cité as a whole.

When King Charles V moved his residence to the Hôtel Saint-Pol, he left the administrative bodies in place i.e. Parliament, Chancery, Audit office, and appointed a concierge, hence the name Conciergerie applied to the residence of this important officer of the Crown, in effect the King's steward, endowed with power and priviledges.

These were the beginnings of the Conciergerie prison.

After the fall of the monarchy, the Tribunal révolutionnaire, created by the Convention, took over the prison.
The dreaded Fouquier-Tinville was its public prosecutor.
More than 2700 people spent their last moments in the Conciergerie and were sentenced to death over a period of 2 years.


The most famous prisoners were, Queen Marie-Antoinette, the poet André Chénier, the 21 Girondins, members of the Convention found guilty of conspiring against the Republic and Robespierre.

The XIXth century also saw many prisoners, among whom the royalist General Cadoudal, field-marshal Ney, the future napoleon III, etc.

The Conciergerie ceased to be a prison in 1914 and was declared a national historic monument, opened to the public.

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The Clerk Office is a re-creation of the room where the prisoners' names were entered on the roll upon their arrival.

He was in charge of the security, hygiene and food supplies in the prison.
Food distribution was complicated since there were more than 800 prisoners being imprisoned.

This position is dangerous.
In May 1794, a concierge was sentenced to death for misappropiation of public funds and mistreatment towards prisoners.










The Preparation Room was where the assistants of the executioner prepared prisoners sentenced to be executed.

This is where prisoners sentenced to death handed over their last possessions.
Their hands were tied behind their backs, their heads shorn to the nape of their necks, and their shirt-collar ripped apart.
They were being escorted to the May courtyard where they waited for the tumbrils to take them to the guillotine.











This is the Girondins' Chapel.
It was already a small royal chapel in medieval times, and was restored and modified in 1776.

Tradition has it that 21 elected members of the Convention, collectively known as the Girondins, spent the night of 29-30 October 1793 here, awaiting to be executed.








-Evoking the original state of Marie~Antoinette's prison-



Remember my previous post on Versailles?
Just look at the vast difference of her living conditions between these 2 places now.
It happened overnight.

This chapel was built according to the wishes of King Louis XVIII, on the exact spot where the Queen was imprisoned.

-A folding screen provided some privacy from the gendarmes guarding her-


-Another gendarme by the corner of her room-





Marie-Antoinette was born in Vienna on 2nd November 1755.
Guillontined in Paris on 16th October 1793.
Archduchess of Austria and married the future Louis XIV in 1770.
She was Queen at the age of 19.

She had a brilliant and extravagant personality.
However, her reputation was ruined by slander and "The Necklace" affair, in which her name was involved against her will.

At the beginning of the revolution, she was accused of opposing reforms, and later of enticing Europe in declaring war upon France. She became very unpopular and was nicknamed, "The Austrian".










She spent 76 days in the Conciegerie and was judged on 15th October 1793 by the Revoluntionary Tribunal which accused her of conspiring against the Republic and having secret dealings with external enemies.









She was sentenced to death and was executed the following morning at the Place de la Revolution (present Place de la Concorde).













-Les Pailleux-

The quarters for the pailleux, or the straw yokels, on the ground consisted of a series of huge balls, entered from the "Rue de Paris".
The poor slept on the ground in these quarters because they could not afford the more comfortable and expensive cells.
There were as many as hundreds of prisoners in a cell and living conditions were bad.

-La Pistole-

In exchange for money, prisoners could obtain a place in a "chambre à la pistole" (with permission to purchase one's own comfort).
These rooms were usually small with a few beds.

The "priviledged" prisoners could at least sleep while avoiding the promiscuity and bad smells of the pailleux quarters.

-Famous or Wealthy Prisoners-

Famous or very wealthy prisoners could obtain a room where they can read or work.

-Keys & Locks in the Conciergerie-

These are really hugeeeeeee.
Measures approximately from the tip of my 3rd finger to the end of my palm.
(And I've got longer fingers compared to other girls on the average)
So, they are really really H.U.G.E.

-The skies from the gallows-



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-Crêperie de Cluny-

The place where we had our dinner.
The very first meal of my day.

-I had crêpe!!!-


-Le Maison, a crepe with ham, cheese and mushrooms within-


-Salad!!!-

There should a big avocado right in the middle too, but I gave it to Will.
I don't like avocados, but he likes them.
Other than that, the 2 dishes I had was really good!
C'est bon!!! =)

-A walk along River Seine after dinner-

夕陽無限好，只是近黃昏。