Editing Conciergerie (section)

=== 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 
</gallery>
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}}