La Conciergerie

first      previous      next      last     

This is the palais de la Conciergerie, built in the fourteenth century. It is so named because it was originally the palace of the Concierge, the majordomo of the King‘s household. Originally it had many shops within that were rented by the Concierge to shopkeepers, but within a fairly short time it had been converted to a prison, and in Revolutionary times, the building was essentially the waiting room for the guillotine (the guillotine itself was on the place de la Concorde). Today the part still in use houses mostly law courts and related buildings, and tours are available. The southern portion of the palace also encloses the Sainte-Chapelle (the spire of which is visible behind the roof of the Conciergerie almost in the exact middle of the photo).

Conciergerie is pronounced /kõsjɛʁʒəʁi/. The term in French refers generically to a caretaker's house or (in Canada) an apartment house.

This photograph shows the north side of the Conciergerie (the main entrance is on the left, away from the camera), and was taken in the early morning from the quai de la Mégisserie.

Photographed on July 31, 2000.