Louvre Palace

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Louvre Palace is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris on the Right Bank of the Seine, between the Tuileries Garden and the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois. The Parisian residence of French sovereigns from the Middle Ages to the Second Empire, a showcase and emblem of the arts in France, the palace has housed the Louvre Museum since the 18th century, as well as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the École du Louvre. The construction of this vast architectural ensemble, inseparable from the history of Paris, spans more than 800 years. Initially a fortress overlooking the Seine, built against the outside of the wall erected by Philip Augustus in 1190, the Louvre Castle became the most important of the royal residences and of the court under Charles V in the 14th century, protecting the royal library and the Treasury. From the Renaissance onwards, the castle and its imposing keep were gradually demolished to make way for a larger palace. With its renovations, Francis I then introduced modern architecture into the heart of Paris. Wishing to create an immense complex, Henry IV linked the Louvre to the Tuileries Palace built by Catherine de' Medici, through the construction of the Grande Galerie running alongside the Seine. His successors extended the "Vieux Louvre" to create the Cour Carrée, and Louis XIV adorned it with a monumental colonnade on the east side.