The Louvre Castle (french: Château fort du Louvre), also known as the Medieval Louvre (french: Louvre médiéval, links=no), was a castle (french: château fort, links=no) built by King Philip II of France on the

right bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...

of the Seine, to reinforce the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

he had built around Paris. It was demolished in stages between 1528 and 1660 to make way for the expanded Louvre Palace.

History

Fortress

Before his departure for the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

in 1190, King Philip II wanted to protect his capital Paris against invasions, especially from English-held

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

less than 100 km away, with memories still lingering of the Viking siege of Paris in 845. He ordered the construction of a new city wall, known since as the Wall of Philip II Augustus, which was started in 1190 on the

. The fortress was nearly squared in plan (78 m by 72 m), surrounded by a 10 m wide moat filled with water from the nearby Seine river. It was reinforced by ten defensive towers, on the corners and at the middle of each side, with twin towers defending narrow gates on the southern and eastern sides, protected by drawbridges. Two additional buildings housing the garrisons and the arsenals were located outside of the surrounding wall, to the west and south of the central courtyard, respectively. A keep named the "big tower" () was built around 1200 in the center of the courtyard. It was a circular structure with a diameter of 15.6 m and 30 m tall, with walls 4.25 m thick at the base. It was surrounded by a ditch, 9 m wide and 6 m deep. This ditch was dry (not a water-filled moat) and paved with large irregular stones. It was crossed by a drawbridge, whose interior arch was built in stone to limit the risk of fire. The keep had a conical roof slate over the machicolation. It also had a well and a large tank for supporting long sieges, as well as a chapel inside. The choice of a round rather than squared or rectangular keep was for military reasons, because attackers could more easily sap the wall at the angles of squared towers compared to circular towers.

Royal residence

The Louvre evolved gradually away from its initial purely military function.

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

had new rooms built in 1230–1240 without any real defensive purpose, including a ceremonial room that was later known as the . The Louvre became a residence intermittently during the troubled times of the 14th century. By the mid-14th century, Paris had grown well beyond the walls of Philip II.

Étienne Marcel Étienne Marcel (between 1302 and 131031 July 1358) was provost of the merchants of Paris under King John II of France, called John the Good (Jean le Bon). He distinguished himself in the defence of the small craftsmen and guildsmen who made u ...

had started building a new city wall further to the west, which King Charles V (1364-1380) brought to completion, later known as the

Wall of Charles V The wall of Charles V, built from 1356 to 1383 is one of the city walls of Paris. It was built on the right bank of the river Seine outside the wall of Philippe Auguste. In the 1640s, the western part of the wall of Charles V was demolished and ...

. Soon after becoming king, Charles initiated a major transformation of the Louvre into a prestigious royal residence. His architect added upper floors, windows, turrets, sculpted decoration, and gardens. Charles V repurposed the northwest tower, formerly known as (Falconry), into the first French Royal Library containing over nine hundred manuscripts. During the Hundred Years' War, English soldiers commanded by Henry V of England, who was allied to the Burgundians who controlled Paris, entered the city. In December 1420, the English occupied the Louvre Castle without a fight. There, they found a Paris ruined by civil war and scarcity and stayed there until 1436.

Demolition and rebuilding

In 1525,

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

was defeated in Pavia and held prisoner. During his captivity, the court interfered with the king's decisions using its ''droit de remontrance'' ''(right of remonstrance'' in French). In addition, the faculty of theology and the

Parliament of Paris The Parliament of Paris (french: Parlement de Paris) was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. It was fixed in Paris by Philip IV of France in 1302. The Parliament of Paris would hold sessions inside the ...

started to show some independence. The king held a ''

lit de justice In France under the Ancien Régime, the ''lit de justice'' (, "bed of justice") was a particular formal session of the Parliament of Paris, under the presidency of the king, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts. It was named thu ...

'' on 24, 26 and 27 July 1526, during which he demonstrated his authority and decided to take back his kingdom and make the Louvre castle his main residence in Paris. As a symbol of his authority, he ordered the demolition of the dungeon in 1528 in order to build an Italian style palace. In 1546, he charged the architect

Pierre Lescot Pierre Lescot (c. 1515 – 10 September 1578) was a French architect active during the French Renaissance. His most notable works include the Fontaine des Innocents and the Lescot wing of the Louvre in Paris. He played an important role in t ...

to build a modern palace in the spirit of the Renaissance architecture, with a large ''

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a s ...

'' and ceremonial rooms. After the death of Francis in 1547, his son

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

continued the work by Pierre Lescot. Between December 1546 and March 1549, he had the west wall destroyed to build a ballroom and the south wall to erect the royal pavilion (1553–1556), which housed the royal apartments and the small gallery. After the death of Henry II, his widow Catherine de' Medici continued the development of the south wing for her apartments. From 1564 onwards, she prioritised the construction of the new

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, f ...

and the establishment of a large Renaissance garden. Under Henry III of France, the Louvre became a space for royalty, a place of entertainment and the theater of historical events such as the marriage of the future King

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch ...

with

Margaret of Valois Margaret of Valois (french: Marguerite, 14 May 1553 – 27 March 1615), popularly known as La Reine Margot, was a French princess of the Valois dynasty who became Queen of Navarre by marriage to Henry III of Navarre and then also Queen of France ...

, which led to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572. During his reign, Henry IV destroyed the remaining elements on the south side, including the moat, in order to build the ''Grande galerie'' (''Great Gallery'' in French) connecting the Louvre and the Tuileries. This was completed in 1610. He also began the construction of the ''

Cour Carrée The Cour Carrée (Square Court) is one of the main courtyards of the Louvre Palace in Paris. The wings surrounding it were built gradually, as the walls of the medieval Louvre were progressively demolished in favour of a Renaissance palace. Cons ...

'' on the base of the existing Lescot wing. The surface was four times the size of the original medieval court. Some buildings between the two palaces were also destroyed. This project, named ''le Grand Dessein'' (''the Grand Design'' in French), also had a military function by establishing a covered walkway between the Louvre and the Tuileries outside the city walls. Henry IV created this walkway in case he needed to flee on horseback during a riot. In order to establish his power, on 24 April 1617 the young

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

murdered

Concino Concini Concino Concini, 1st Marquis d'Ancre (23 November 1569 – 24 April 1617), was an Italian politician, best known for being a minister of Louis XIII of France, as the favourite of Louis's mother, Marie de Medici, Queen of France. In 1617 he was ki ...

, the favorite of his mother Marie de' Medici, at the entrance gate connecting the castle to the city. Louis XIII demolished the northern part of the medieval enclosure in order to extend the Lescot wing in this direction, providing symmetry. The eastern part was demolished by

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...

to allow for the construction of the Louvre Colonnade. File:Louvre - Les Très Riches Heures.jpg, The Louvre pictured in the ''

Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (; en, The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry) or Très Riches Heures, is the most famous and possibly the best surviving example of manuscript illumination in the late phase of the International Goth ...

'', 1410s File:Tour de Nesle and Louvre castle on the Crucifixion of the Parlement of Paris.jpg, The Louvre pictured in the ', mid-15th century File:The old Louvre and Montmartre hill in the Middle Ages.jpg, The Louvre seen from the south, pictured in the ''Pietà of Saint-Germain-des-Prés'', late 15th century File:Le chateau du Louvre sur un plan de 1615.jpg, Depiction on Merian map of Paris, 1615

Plans and reconstructions

File:Plan.chateau.Louvre.png, Map of the Louvre under Charles V, by

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...

(1856; oriented south on top and north at bottom) File:Plan of medieval Louvre - Berty 1866 after p128.jpg, Map of the medieval Louvre, by Adolphe Berty (1866) File:Quartier du Louvre, 1380.jpg, Map of the Louvre in 1380, by (ca.1880) File:Quartier du Louvre, 1595.jpg, Map of the Louvre in 1595, by (ca.1880) File:Louvre chateau 1.jpg, The castle from the south and Seine river around the year 1200, as imagined by

Louis-Pierre Baltard Louis-Pierre Baltard (9 July 1764 – 22 January 1846) was a French architect, and engraver and father of Victor Baltard. Life He was born in Paris. He was originally a landscape painter, but in his travels through Italy was struck with the be ...

around 1800 File:Vue cavalière du Louvre médiéval - comte de Clarac, 1826 - Christ 1949 Fig5.jpg, Reconstruction of the medieval Louvre by the Comte de Clarac (1826) File:Chateau.Louvre.png, Reconstruction by

(1856) File:Coupe.escalier.Louvre.png, Viollet-le-Duc's reconstructed section of the (1856) File:Vue perspective de la grande vis imaginée par Viollet-le-Duc.jpg, Viollet-le-Duc's reconstruction of the (1856) File:Vue à vol d'oiseau du Louvre agrandi par Charles V.jpg, Reconstruction by (ca.1880) File:Le Louvre sous Charles V, 1380.jpg, Another view of the Louvre in 1380 as reconstructed by Hoffbauer (ca.1880) File:Le Louvre sous Louis XIII, 1622.jpg, The Louvre in 1622 as reconstructed by Hoffbauer (ca.1880) File:Model of the medieval Louvre (2359560020).jpg, Model of the Louvre after Charles V's transformation, placed in 1989 in the underground spaces displaying the castle's remains File:La grande vis du Louvre 3 de 3.jpg, Recent computer model of the

Excavations and remains

During the 19th century, it was found that the dungeon, along with two of the four walls were not completely demolished, but instead the stones from the walls were taken down to fill ditches in preparation for construction of the Louvre palace. Many people don't realize that the medieval Louvre included a dungeon, however there are remains on display at the Louvre. During the construction of the

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, the bases of the keep and the two walls were cleared. A major excavation campaign resulted in the discovery of hundreds of everyday life objects. They are now accessible to the public in a collection named ''Medieval Louvre'' which features the lower room (today known as the ''Salle Saint-Louis'') and the objects found during the excavations (small games, jugs, flasks, ...). File:Fouilles exécutées dans la cour du Louvre - Mise à jour des fondations de l'ancienne tour de Philippe Auguste.jpg, First excavation of the medieval Louvre by Adolphe Berty in 1866 File:Fouilles de la cour Carrée pendant les travaux du Grand Louvre.jpg, The 1980s excavation of the Louvre's keep File:Louvre medieval foundations flickr.jpg, Remains of the Louvre's basement level, restored and opened to the public in the 1980s File:France-003265 - Old Interior (16212276366).jpg, The photographed in 2014 File:Cruches trouvées dans les fouilles du château du Louvre.jpg, Pottery unearthed during the 1980s excavations File:Jeux trouvés dans les fouilles du château du Louvre.jpg, Dominoes, dice and other games

Notes

Bibliography

* Christ, Yvan (1949). ''Le Louvre et les Tuileries: Histoire architecturale d'un double palais''. Paris: Éditions "Tel". . * Erlande-Brandenburg, Alain (1996). "Palais du Louvre", vol. 24, p. 161, in ''

The Dictionary of Art ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'', 34 volumes, edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. . * Hanser, David A. (2006). ''Architecture of France''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. . * Pérouse de Montclos, Jean-Marie, editor (1994). ''Le Guide du patrimoine Paris''. Paris: Hachette. . .

External links

* http://www.francebalade.com/paris/louvre.htm * http://philippe-auguste.com/en/ville/louvre.html * http://www.templedeparis.fr/2013/09/13/la-grosse-tour-premier-donjon-de-paris/ * http://www.richesheures.net/epoque-6-15/chateau/75louvre-description.htm * https://www.templedeparis.fr/2013/09/13/la-grosse-tour-premier-donjon-de-paris/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Louvre, Chateau de Louvre Palace 1202 establishments in Europe 1200s establishments in France Louvre Castle 17th-century disestablishments in France Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris Buildings and structures completed in 1202 Houses completed in the 13th century Buildings and structures demolished in the 17th century Demolished buildings and structures in Paris Ruined castles in Île-de-France Palaces in Paris Royal residences in France Philip II of France