The Conciergerie, Paris

On our way to visit Sainte-Chapelle we stopped in at The Conciergerie, the oldest prison in Paris. Dating back to the 6th century, it was originally the palatial residence of Clovis, the first king of Paris. During the French Revolution between 1793 and 1795 it served as a prison where its most famous prisoner, Marie-Antoinette was kept up to the day she was executed. Hundreds of prisoners during the French Revolution were taken from the Conciergerie to be executed by guillotine at a number of locations around Paris.

Throughout the centuries it has housed many of the French monarchy, been the home to France’s Parliament and is the birthplace of the first Conciergerie. Appointed by King Charles V, the last royal resident, the Conciergerie were charged with maintaining order, overseeing the police and supervising prisons. Today it still houses judicial offices.

We entered through the Hall of Soldiers and after seeing the elaborate interior of the Notre Dame the simplicity of the Conciergerie was simply beautiful. The hall was empty but impressive with its graceful curved beams. There was such a feeling of serenity and peacefulness about the place even though it was a place of sadness. It was almost a spiritual feeling being there and I loved it.Read more