Paris Early Gothic Conciergerie

• Gothic Style in Europe, Elements, Periods
  
• What is the Conciergery?
  
• The Jurisdiction of the Concierge
  
• The Conciergerie, a Prison with rich History
  
• The Conciergerie VIDEO
  
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• Amanda Jordan's VIDEO Gothic Architecture
  
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Gothic is a style of architecture that flourished in Europe from the mid-12th century to the end of the 15th century.

The term "Gothic", comes from a term given to the style of Renaissance Schlor, Giorgi Vasari, who wrongly associated the form to the Gothics, Germanic invaders who helped lead to the downfall of the Roman Empire.

Gothic is characterized by:

• The vertical lines of tall pillars and spires
• Greater height in interior spaces
• The pointed arch
• Rib vaulting
• The flying buttress

Gothic architecture originated in Normandy and Burgundy in the 12th century. It was essentially the style of the Catholic countries of Europe, and attained its highest excellence in France and England.

It was used for non-religious buildings as well as for cathedrals, churches, and monasteries.

Gothic architecture in France may be divided into four periods:

• Early Gothic
• High Gothic
• Rayonnet Gothic
• Late or Flamboyant Gothic.

This is the lens dedicated to Early Gothic Architecture.

This is a different angle of the Hall of Gentlemen-at-Arms. It was hard to take an ensemble picture with the equipment I had, so I did a lot of pictures from different angles.

The king attracted a lot of people to the Ile de la Cite, they showed a certain tendency to independence, and they functioned very well in his absence.

Like usual, among government officers, one suddenly acquired enormous power. He was the palace intendant, so-called Concierge, and when the King abandoned the palace, he gradually and tenaciously increased the Concierge's power.

The Privy Council acted as a "Parliament", they called themselves "Grand Chamber", and they heard cases relating to religion, politics, and administrative.

A process of splitting duties was the next step:

• The Chamber of Enquiries examined all cases
• The Chamber of Requests watched over finals appeals
• The Chamber of Accounts controlled the State's finances
• The Court of Assistance examined tax problems

The consequence of this diversification - at the beginning of the 15th century the Prison which was part of the Conciergerie as well, covered more square feet then ever before.

In the next picture you can see a section of prisoner's corridor that was used as an infirmary.

And in this picture you can see a portion on the Girondins' Chapel where the women prisoners attended the religious service behind the iron railings in the balcony.

To continue the path of history, on the night of 6th/7th March 1618, a fire broke out in the attics above the Great Hall.

It was considered a criminal act aimed at destroying the evidence required for the trial of Henri IV's murderer, the evidence was indeed reduced to ashes.

The Great Hall, the Clerk of the Court's office, the Chamber of Enquiries, and The Chamber of Requests were destroyed.
A beautiful restoring work was done by the architect of Queen Mary of Medici - S. de Brosse, and this time the Great Hall got a stone-vaulted roof.

Other fires:

• In 1630 a fire broke out in the Saint-Chapelle
• In 1737 the roofing timber of the Court of Accounts was destroyed on other fire
• In 1776 a huge fire destroyed: the Grand Chamber, the Grate Hall again, and all other buildings except Saint-Chapelle

At this point a major restoration was done be a group of 3 fine Architects: Couture, Desmaison, and Antoine. The prison was so badly damaged, Antoine was the architect which completely redesign that part and in the proses he made the Prison more functional, but the new one didn't look like 14th century at all.

The Conciergerie is a Palace that had housed a prison for a very long time, and after the King had left the Palace, the number of cells was increased, and a lot of famous or very dangerous prisoners were locked up in the Conciergerie.

Examples:

• E. de Marigny (chamberlain and financier to Philip the Fair)
• Comte de Montgomery, he killed Henri II, and Catherine de Medici's had him sentenced to death and beheaded in 1574
• I lot of people caught on religious conflicts
• Marquess of Brinvilliers imprisoned for poisoning her father and her 2 brothers and so on

French Revolution used the Conciergerie as a place of punishment for its enemies, even for those suspected of being so.

The most outrageous case was a Queen of France, in 2nd Aug. 1793 Marie Antoinette was a prisoner in Conciergerie, in Sep an attempt to help her escape failed. At that point she was sentenced and on 16th Oct. 1793, after a long and convoluted debate, it was over.

The Conciergerie had an unpleasant reputation before it became internationally famous as the "antechamber to the guillotine" during, the bloodiest phase of the French Revolution called "the Reign of Terror". And the Conciergerie was associated forever with its hardest punishment - the guillotine.

The most famous prisoners was Queen Marie Antoinette, General de Beauharnais, the poet André Chénier, Charlotte Corday, Madame du Barry and the Girondins, who were condemned by Georges Danton, who was in turn condemned by Robespierre.

In July 1794, an injured Robespierre made his own way to the scaffold.

In 1820, Louvel Who had murdered Louis XVIII's nephew, was imprisoned and he was beheaded as well.

Even after the last restoration in the 19th century, the Conciergerie continued to be used as a prison for high-value prisoners - most notably the future Napoleon III. And Marie Antoinette's cell was converted into a chapel dedicated to her memory.

This picture show you the alter in the Girondins' Chapel, below the painting of the Crucifixion, is a door leading straight into Marie-Antoinette's cell.

The Conciergerie was decommissioned in 1914 and was opened to the public as a national historical monument.
It is today a popular tourist attraction, although only a relatively small part of the building is open to public access - much of it is still used for the Paris law courts.

It will come soon the second part of this subject in a different lens.

Gothic Ornament and Design
(Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

This huge collection of authentic medieval designs and motifs was magnificently reproduced from a rare 19th-century volume. It features Gothic columns, cornices, gargoyles, stained glass designs, ornate stonework, and other architectural and decorative elements, in a spectacular compendium of 216 plates for art and craft use.

Part of the Oxford History of Art Series, this text on medieval architecture by Nicola Coldstream is an excellent survey of the development of architectural forms throughout the medieval period. Designed for the art major who is taking courses on architectural forms and history, the text provides a well-rounded presentation on the subject.

Gothic Architecture:
158 Plates from the Brandons' Treatise, 1847

Collected from rare 19th-century sources. This is a rich retrospective of ecclesiastical architecture through the Middle Ages, the Gothic style shines through in 158 expert illustrations.

You will find details of church windows, moldings, doorways, piers and arches, roofs, porches, panels, hinges, and more reveal the intricate geometry of classic Gothic design.

If you really want to know more about me, you can read my Lensography on Squidoo
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More pictures from Paris:

• A rainy day in Paris - Eiffel Tower
• The Pyramid, which is the Louvre Museum entrance
• La Defense
• Arc de Triomphe
• Notre Dame Cathedral