Editing Conciergerie (section)

== Description ==
=== The Towers and facades ===
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File:Paris Conciergerie 265.jpg|North facade of the Conciergerie: Horloge (left); Caesar and Silver (center); Tour Bonbec (right) 
File:P1160444 Paris Ier conciergerie horloge rwk.jpg|The Tour de l'Horloge, or clock tower (14th and 16th century)
File:Horloge Palais de justice - Paris.JPG|The clock on the Tour de l'Horloge (14th century)
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The four medieval towers of the north façade, along the Quai de l'Horloge between the [[Court of Cassation (France)|Cour de Cassation]] and the Boulevard du Palais, are the most prominent exterior vestiges of the old Conciergerie.

The '''Tour Bonbec''' is a circular tower with [[battlements]] and a conical slate roof located at the west end of the Conciergerie, next to the Cour de Cassation. It is the oldest of the towers, constructed in the 13th century under [[Louis IX]]. It was originally one level shorter than the other towers, but in the 19th century, under [[Napoleon III]], it was raised to its present height and form. The name of the tower comes from "Bon Bec," a slang word for a "Good talker". It is reference to the torture chamber, which during the Reign of Terror was located in this tower; it referred to those prisoners who spoke freely under torture.{{Sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=47}}

The gateway on the north is flanked by two circular towers with conical roofs, but without battlements. The '''Caesar Tower''', on the left facing the building, is named in honor of the Roman Emperors, particularly [[Julius Caesar]] who visited the island during the [[Gallic Wars]] to meet with the leaders of the Gallic tribes, and the later Emperors and Roman governors who lived on the island.{{Sfn|Fierro|1996|p=9-10}} The two towers were constructed in the early 14th century by [[Philippe IV]]. Later in the 14th century, the lower portions of the towers were connected to the prison of the Conciergerie, and were used as dungeons until the French Revolution. The '''Silver Tower''' on the right was used to store part of the royal treasury. After the court moved to Versailles, The upper parts of the two towers were attached to the Grand Chamber of the Parlement, and were used to store the civil and criminal registries of the kingdom. In 1793–94, at the height of the Terror, the chief prosecutor of the Revolutionary Tribunal, [[Antoine Fouquier-Tinville]], had his offices in the two towers, close to the courtroom of the Tribunal.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=47}}

The most recent tower is the '''Tour de l'Horloge''', or clock tower, at the corner of the Boulevard du Palais and the Quai de l'Horloge. It was completed by [[John II of France]], and finished in 1350. It is the tallest tower of the Conciergerie, five levels high, with battlements and a lantern tower at the top; it served as both a watchtower and clock tower. The clock was installed during the reign of [[Charles VI of France]], and was the first public clock in Paris. In 1585 King [[Henry III of France]] embellished the clock with a new face, set on a blue background with gold [[Fleurs-de-lis]], and framed by statues of law and justice by sculptor [[Germain Pilon]]. The decoration was vandalised during the Revolution, and the large bell in the lantern, which was rung to celebrate major events, was taken out and melted down. The tower had been restored several times, most recently in 2012.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=48}}

The current façades were built later than the towers. The north façade between the towers was built in the 19th century in [[Gothic Revival]] style. The eastern section, around the entrance, was built during the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]] in the early 19th century, while the western section was built by [[Joseph-Louis Duc]] and Étienne Théodore Dommey in the second half of the 19th century, under Emperor [[Napoleon III]]. They were almost completed in 1871, when the [[Paris Commune]] took charge of the city. The Communards set the building on fire in the last days of the Commune, badly damaging the interiors, but it was rebuilt in the late 19th century.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=48}}

=== The Hall of the Men-at-Arms and the "Rue de Paris" ===
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File:Salle des gens darmes conciergerie.jpg|Hall of the Men-at-arms
File:Paris - La Conciergerie - 0034.jpg|Spiral stairway from the Hall of the Men-at-Arms to the Great Hall above
File:Bas-relief de Méduse dans la salle des gens d'armes de la Conciergerie (36121490881).jpg|Fragment of the early decoration 
File:Conciergerie - Rue de Paris 01.JPG|The "Rue de Paris" passage through the prison 
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The Hall of the Men-at-Arms (Salle des Gens d'Armes) was built in early 14th century by [[Philip IV of France|Philip IV]] on the ground floor. Its great size (originally {{convert|68|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} long, now {{convert|61.2|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}}, {{convert|28|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} wide, and {{convert|8.7|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} high to the vault), makes it the largest non-religious Gothic hall in Europe.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=52}}  It served as a dining room and gathering place for the armed guards and servants attached to the palace, who numbered between one and two thousand persons. During the reign of Philip IV parts of the hall were sometimes used for the meetings of special commissions appointed by the King to investigate problems in the royal institutions in the French provinces. These parts would be separated from the rest of the hall by partitions or tapestries during the meetings.

The hall particularly provided staff and services for the Great Hall, located directly above it on the first floor. The lower hall was connected with upper hall by spiral staircases; part of one stairway is still in place. The hall was divided into four naves by a row of massive pillars in the center, flanked by two rows of cylindrical columns. Heat was provided by four large fireplaces around the hall. Thanks to the support of the columns and pillars, the hall originally had large windows, which were mostly sealed off in the 17th century when the Galerie Dauphine was built, though traces of them are still visible on the south wall.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|pp=52-53}}

In 1364, when [[Charles V of France|Charles V]] left the palace, the hall was modified for its new prison functions. the last bay on the west was raised in height and separated by bars from the rest of the hall. This became the "Rue de Paris", the secure route to the prison cells, named after "Monsieur de Paris", the nickname of the city's executioner.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|pp=52-53}}

===Hall of the Guards===
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File:Conciergerie - Salle des gardes 06.JPG|Hall of the Guards 
File:Conciergerie - Salle des gardes 03.JPG|Sculptural decoration of Hall of the Guards (19th c.)
File:Conciergerie - Salle des gardes 01.JPG|Hall of the Guards
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The Hall of the Guards (Salle des Gardes) was built by Philip IV at the same time as the Hall of the Men-at-Arms, in the early 14th century. It is on the north or the old palace, between the Tower of Caesar and Silver Tower and the Seine, and the private garden of the King on the west. It was first occupied by The Royal Guard, and later was used as the antechamber of the Parliament, which was located directly above. It is smaller than the Hall of the Men-art-Arms, 21.8 meters long, 11.7 meters wide, and 8.3 meters high. The rib-vaulted roof, supported by three massive pillars, divides it into two naves. Like the hall of the Men-at-Arms, it was connected with the room above by a spiral stairway.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=55}}{{sfn|Delon|2000|p=45}}

When King Charles V moved the royal residence from the City Palace to the Louvre, the Hall of the Guards was converted into a prison. It was divided into dungeons for destitute prisoners. called "pailleux" or "Straw-sleepers", who were fed with only bread and water, and slept on the floor. It was usually overcrowded, with prisoners sometimes required to sleep in shifts. From 1780 onwards, male prisoners were able to get some exercise in the neighbouring courtyard. During the Reign of Terror, the Hall was used to confine prisoners before their trials in the courtroom of the Revolutionary Tribunal, in the hall above. The cells became so crowded that a second level, built of wood and accessed by ladders, was put into place. The Hall was restored in the 19th century by architect Antoine Marie Peyrle, who added some decorative details, including sculpture on the capitals of the columns.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=55}}{{sfn|Delon|2000|p=45}}

===Kitchen===
[[File:Paris Conciergerie kitchen fireplace.jpg|150px|right|Fireplace in the kitchen pavilion]] 
The kitchen pavilion was added in about 1353, shortly after the other large halls. Placed in the northwest corner, it was set slightly apart from the rest of the building, to reduce the risk of fire. It was originally installed on two levels, with the food of the royal family and guests prepared on the upper level, and for the staff on the lower level. When the king was in residence, meals were prepared in a large hearth on the upper floor, or prepared in the lower kitchen and taken upstairs on an outside ramp, no longer extant. The kitchen originally had eight large windows, but all but two were walled up after it became a prison. Sometimes both the upper and lower kitchens were employed for an event, such as the Banquet of the Three Kings on 6 January 1378, held by [[Charles V of France|Charles V]] to welcome his uncle, [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], and his cousin [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus]], [[King of the Romans]]. The upstairs and downstairs kitchens worked together to prepare a banquet of three courses with ten dishes in each course, served in the Grand Hall to the royal guests and to eight hundred German and French knights.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|pp=14-15}}

=== Prisoners' Corridor ===
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File:Paris Conciergerie - bureau du gardien.jpg|Office of the concierge, or guardian 
File:Conciergerie détail des cellules 05.JPG|Display of locks, keys and handcuffs
File:Conciergerie détail des cellules 04.JPG|A cell for prisoners who could pay for their bed and board 
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The upper level of the Conciergerie was considerably rebuilt in the 19th and 20th century. Nearly all of the original cells, including that of Marie Antoinette, were demolished and replaced with new rooms. After the prison was closed and became a museum, some of the new rooms were turned into galleries. In 1989 three rooms were recreated to depict the administrative function of the prison. The first is the cell-like office of the registrar who received the incoming prisoners, enter their names into a large book, and take their belongings. This office was originally located on the ground floor, near the Cour du Mai, the main entrance of prison, where prisoners arrived. Prisoners were then taken to their cells along the Prisoner's Corridor, which extended the length of the building. Next to the recreated registrar's office is a recreation of the office of the Concierge, the warden of the prison. The third recreated room is the Grooming Room, where prisoners were taken on the day of their execution. They undressed and put on a special collarless tunic, and their hair was cut to make easier the passage of the guillotine blade through their neck.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|pp=57-58}}

In addition to these rooms, the corridor has three recreations of prison cells, and four rooms displaying objects and documents illustrating the history of the building and the major events of Revolution.

=== Hall of Names and Prisoner's Chapel ===
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File:Paris Concergerie - barred entrance 20170529.jpg|A recreated cell used as an exhibit hall
File:Hall of Names Conciergerie.jpg|Hall of Names; attached to the walls are the names of the more than four thousand persons sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal 
File:Paris Conciergerie - chapelle 20170529 01.jpg|Altar of the Prisoner's Chapel of the Conciergerie. Behind the curtain is the Memorial chapel to Marie Antoinette.
File:Conciergerie - Chapelle 01.JPG|Women's Gallery in the Chapel of the Conciergerie
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The '''Hall of Names''' has walls covered with the names of more than four thousand persons who were tried and sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Most of the prisoners came from middle or lower class, though twenty percent were from the former nobility and clergy. Between spring 1793 and 1794, nearly half the prisoners tried by the Tribunal left the prison alive, but that number dropped to only twenty percent between spring 1793 and 1794, the period of the [[Reign of Terror]]. Visitors can use a touch screen to consult the biographies of fifty famous prisoners executed during the Terror.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|pp=60-61}}

The '''Prisoner's Chapel''' was rebuilt in 1776, after a fire that destroyed the earlier oratory. It is little changed from the time of the Revolution. The altar, confessional and the large crucifix date to the 18th century. Women could attend the services seated separately on the upper level, behind bars. Black curtains behind the altar cover the entrance to the memorial chapel dedicated to Marie Antoinette. The chapel was probably used as a cell during the Terror, when the prison was particularly overcrowded.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|p=62}}

=== Memorial Chapel or Marie Antoinette Chapel ===
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File:Conciergerie - Chapelle 09.JPG|Marie Antoinette Chapel, on the site of her cell, with teardrop motif on black marble 
File:Conciergerie - Chapelle 08.JPG|The single window of the Memorial Chapel, with initials of Marie Antoinette 
File:Conciergerie - Chapelle 05.JPG|Paintings of Marie Antoinette in the Memorial Chapel 
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The original cell of Marie Antoinette was destroyed after the restoration of the monarchy and was replaced in 1815 by the Memorial Chapel, dedicated to her, on the site of her cell. It was commissioned by [[Louis XVIII]], brother of the executed Louis XVI, It contains a marble monument dedicated to the Queen, with "The Queen's Testament", and three paintings of the Queen depicting her imprisonment. The only light in the chapel comes from a single stained glass window, and the black faux-marble walls are marked with stone teardrops.{{sfn|de Parseval|Mazeau|2019|pp=14-15}}

=== Women's Courtyard ===
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File:Conciergerie - Cour des femmes 01.JPG|Courtyard for women prisoners, little changed since 18th century 
File:Conciergerie - Cour des femmes 04.JPG|Women's courtyard, with fountain 
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The Women's courtyard, where Marie Antoinette and other women prisoners were allowed to exercise, is little changed from the time of the Revolution. The arcades, garden, stone table, and fountain where prisoners could wash their garments, date from that period. At the back of the garden, in the northeast corner, is a small triangular area separated from the women's courtyard by a gate. This area belonged to the men's prison, and was probably used for the secure transfer of prisoners.{{sfn|Delon|2000|p=62}}