The Conciergerie is a former prison in Paris, located on the Île de la Cité. It was part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which consisted of the Conciergerie, Palais de Justice and the Sainte-Chapelle.
The Kings of France abandoned the palace at the end of the 14th century to settle in the Louvre and Vincennes. It then took on a judicial role, and part of the palace was converted into prison cells. Hundreds of prisoners during the French Revolution were taken from the Conciergerie to be executed by guillotine at several locations around Paris.
Its most famous prisoner was Marie-Antoinette and during the Restoration, a commemorative chapel was erected on the site of her cell. From royal residence to revolutionary prison, this splendid Gothic palace is now mostly used for law courts.
