Conciergerie – old jail of the Palais de Justice
The Conciergerie is one of the iconic monuments of the Île de la Cité.
When the Romans conquered northern Gaul in 52 BC, they settled in the oppidum built by the Gallic tribe of the Parisii on the island. The palace of their governor later became the official residence of the kings of France.
From the 5th to the 12th centuries, the kings continually transformed, enlarged, and embellished the palace. In 1300, King Philip the Fair commissioned the construction of the Conciergerie to house the prison, the courts, and the administrative and financial services of the kingdom.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the kings of France left their former palace on the Île de la Cité for the Louvre. Since then, the palace has been exclusively dedicated to the judicial branch, hence its name, the Palais de Justice (Palace of Justice).
The Conciergerie has also served as a prison on several occasions throughout the centuries. It includes four towers (Tour Bonbec, Tour César, Tour d’Argent and Tour de l’Horloge), Salle des Gens d’Armes (Hall of the Men-at-Arms), Salle des Gardes (Hall of the Guards), Salle Haute or Salle des Pas Perdus (Upper Hall), Galerie Marchande, Cuisines Saint-Louis (royal Kitchens), Rue de Paris and Galerie des Prisonniers (Prisoners’ Gallery), Cellule de Marie-Antoinette (cell) and Chapelle Expiatoire (Expiatory Chapel), Cour des Femmes (Women’s Courtyard) and Préau des Hommes (Men’s Courtyard).
Tour Bonbec
The four towers of the Conciergerie are located on the north side of the palace, along the Seine.
The oldest, the Bonbec Tower, was built in 1250 and initially served as a prison. The Conciergerie, as we know it today, did not yet exist. This tower has retained its original crenellations, but its pepper-pot roof was added in the 16th century. Its name appears in the 15th century, when it housed the Salle de la Question, the torture chamber. In Old French, “bec” meant mouth, hence its nickname “Bon Bec“, because the unfortunate prisoners ended up confessing under torture what was expected of them.
In 1300, King Philip the Fair had the Hôtel des Comtes de Bretagne and its outbuildings, located north of the palace, demolished to build the Conciergerie, but he preserved the Bonbec Tower.
This new building was intended to house the kingdom’s legal, administrative, and financial services. The Concierge, the provost in charge of the royal palace, was one of the kingdom’s dignitaries and exercised the right to administer justice.
Tour d’Argent and Tour César
Caesar’s Tower and Silver Tower, two four-story towers with pepper-pot roofs, were built in 1300 and the prison was moved from Bonbec Tower to their ground floor.
Tour de l’Horloge – Clock Tower
The Clock Tower was erected in 1353, and in 1371, Charles V commissioned the installation of the clock, which became the first public clock in Paris.
Adorned with Latin inscriptions, the royal monogram, and low-reliefs symbolising Justice on the right and Law on the left, the clock served both as a functional instrument and a decorative emblem of royal authority.
The clock was damaged, and the original bell that topped the tower was melted down during the French Revolution.
The clock-maker Lepaute meticulously restored it in 1849, while the sculptor Toussaint reproduced the sculptures exactly.
The Oratoire de la Reine Blanche (Oratory of the White Queen), one of Charles V’s favourite rooms, is located at the top of the Clock Tower.
Salle des Gens-d’Armes – Hall of the Men-at-Arms
The Hall of the Men-at-Arms is also known as the Salle Saint-Louis.
It is located below street level because, at the time of its construction, the Île de la Cité was 7 metres lower than today.
This 69,3-m-long and 27,4-m-wide hall, which serves as the entrance to the Conciergerie, was built in 1300 and remains the largest medieval hall in Europe.
It consists of four vaulted halls supported by columns adorned with finely sculpted capitals.
It originally served as the foundation for the Salle Haute, the Salle des Gens d’Armes and also provided access to the Cuisines Saint-Louis and the Salle des Gardes.
Cuisines Saint-Louis – kitchens
In 1353, King John the Good commissioned the construction of a two-story square pavilion to accommodate the Saint-Louis Kitchens.
These kitchens remained in operation until 1370, when Charles V left the Conciergerie to move first to the Louvre and then to his Hôtel St-Pol in the Marais district.
Unfortunately, the kitchens, along with the west wing of the palace, were destroyed by fire in 1776.
While the ground floor was rebuilt, it was later divided into small cells in 1825 to expand the prison.
Today, only the fully restored staircase remains, which once connected the kitchen floor to the Hall of the Men-at-Arms.
Salle des Gardes – Guardroom
The Guard Room, located on the ground floor of the Conciergerie, is another remarkable example of Gothic architecture!
This 23-m-long by 12-m-wide hall was built in 1300 on the site of the Hôtel des Comtes de Bretagne.
This single vaulted hall is supported with columns whose capitals are finely sculpted with depictions of animals and human figures.
Sadly, this magnificent room was converted into a men’s prison during the French Revolution.
Salle des-Pas-Perdus or Salle Haute
A spiral staircase once connected the Guard Room to the Salle Haute – Upper Hall.
This staircase was destroyed by fire in 1618, but it was rebuilt in 1622.
Today, it leads to the Salle des Pas-Perdus (Hall of Lost Steps), the waiting room of the Tribunal.
The Upper Hall, which once connected to the private apartments of King Saint Louis, now houses the First Civil Court.
Galerie Marchande
The Galerie Marchande (shopping gallery), also known as the Mercerie du Palais, opened onto the main courtyard, the Cour du Mai, and connected the Upper Hall to the Sainte-Chapelle.
This bustling passageway was lined with countless shops and stalls, making it one of the liveliest areas of the palace.
Its west facade was restored after the fire in 1776.
Rue de Paris and Galerie des Prisonniers
During the French Revolution, the Conciergerie served as an infamous prison.
The Rue de Paris, which is actually a wide corridor, still connects the Salle des Gardes to the entrance of the Conciergerie, known as the “guichets.”
This corridor was named after the executioner Samson, commonly known as Monsieur de Paris, in accordance with the tradition.
The Rue de Paris leads to the eerie Galerie des Prisonniers (Prisoners’ Gallery), a narrow corridor lined with small cells. While the wealthier prisoners could afford rudimentary furnishings, such as a bed and a table, the less fortunate had to make do with sleeping on straw on the bare floor.
However, all prisoners eventually left the Conciergerie through the guichets, where oxcarts awaited them in the Cour de Mai to take them to the guillotine.
Although these guichets are no longer in use, they still exist, and remained the official access points to the prison until 1825.
Chapelle des Girondins
The Prisoners’ Gallery is also connected to the prison chapel, located on the upper floor.
This chapel was renamed the Chapelle des Girondins (Girondins Chapel) after the Revolution.
On October 29, 1793, it indeed became the theatre of a tragic event when the Revolutionary Tribunal condemned 21 moderate members of the Girondin parliamentary group to death.
The Girondins spent their last night, from October 29 to 30, gathered in the chapel to share a last fraternal meal.
They also kept vigil over the body of one of their own.
Deputy Dufriche-Valazé, in defiance of the guillotine, indeed chose to commit suicide that night.
Queen Marie-Antoinette’s Cell – Expiatory Chapel
Queen Marie Antoinette spent the last 76 days of her life in a cramped cell.
She was first imprisoned in the Temple on August 10, 1792, before being transferred to the Conciergerie a few months later.
She was tried and sentenced to death on October 15, 1793, and executed the following day in the Place de la Révolution, now the Place de la Concorde.
Marie Antoinette’s cell was a small room divided into two by a simple screen.
She lived on one side, which was furnished with a table and a basic bed, while two guards stood on the other side.
The cell was modified in 1863, and a wall replaced the original screen.
A replica of Marie Antoinette’s cell was later created in the side where the guards stood, while her cell was transformed into a Chapelle Expiatoire (expiatory chapel).
Adorned with faux marble on the walls and ceiling, the chapel features three paintings depicting the queen at different stages of her imprisonment.
A marble cenotaph, bearing a dedication by Louis XVIII and an excerpt from Marie Antoinette’s will, stand in the centre of the chapel.
Two walls were pierced to create a vestibule connecting the Expiatory Chapel to the Girondins Chapel.
This corridor houses two stelae commemorating Louis XVI and his sister, Madame Élisabeth.
What is left of the medieval royal palace?
The Hall of the Men-at-Arms, the Guards’ Hall, the ground floor of the Saint-Louis Kitchens, the Sainte-Chapelle, and the four towers are the only remaining vestiges of the medieval palace that once housed the Conciergerie.
Yet, the mere mention of the word Conciergerie is enough to send a chill down the spines of most French people. The building indeed remains deeply associated with the abuse, suffering, fear, and despair endured by the countless men and women who spent their terrifying final hours there. Fortunately, the Conciergerie prison was decommissioned in 1914. Today, listed as a historical monument, it is open to the public.
Directions: 1st District – Boulevard du Palais
Metro: Cité on Line 4
Coordinates: Lat 48.855813 – Long 2.346091
