Conciergerie

Conciergerie Review

Much of Ile de la Cité's medieval buildings fell victim to wunderkind planner Baron Haussmann's ambitious rebuilding program of the 1860s. Among the rare survivors are the jewel-like Sainte-Chapelle, a vision of shimmering stained glass, and the Conciergerie, the former prison where Marie-Antoinette and other victims of the French Revolution spent their last days.

Built by Philip IV in the 13th and 14th centuries, the Conciergerie was part of the original palace of the kings of France, before the royals moved into the Louvre around 1364; in 1391, it became a prison. During the French Revolution, Marie-Antoinette spent her final 76 days here before her date with the guillotine. There is a re-creation of the doomed queen's sad little cell—and others that are far smaller—with wax figures awaiting their fate behind bars. You can read the names of all the executed, and read letters penned by some of Paris's famous revolutionaries. The chapel's stained glass is emblazoned with the initials M. A.; it was commissioned after the queen's death by her daughter. Outside, in the courtyard, victims of the Terror spent their final days playing piquet, writing letters to loved ones, washing clothes, and waiting for the dreaded climb up the staircase to the Chamber of the Revolutionary Council to hear its final verdict. The building takes its name from the palace's concierge, or high-level keeper of the palace. There are free guided tours in French most days at 11 and 3.