The Conciergerie preserves part of the medieval Palais de la Cité, once the residence and seat of French royal power. Later converted into a prison, it became closely associated with the Revolutionary Tribunal and the confinement of Marie-Antoinette.
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The Conciergerie’s medieval halls were built for royal authority before becoming known as a prison. They survive from the Palais de la Cité, the principal residence and center of power for the kings of France during the Middle Ages.
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Quick facts
- The Conciergerie is part of the medieval Palais de la Cité.
- It became a prison for the Parliament of Paris toward the end of the fourteenth century.
- Marie-Antoinette was its most famous Revolutionary-era prisoner.
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