The Château de la Tournelle was a now-demolished castle on the left bank of the Seine in the 5th arrondissement of Paris on the quai de la Tournelle. The approximate site is now occupied by the restaurant La Tour d'Argent.[1] After it were named the pont de la Tournelle and the quai de la Tournelle.
History edit
The Château was built during the reign of Charles VI of France (1380-1422), and was named after its many ‘tournelles’ or little towers used to monitor the Seine River.[2] The structure replaced the older Saint-Bernard watch tower which was part of the fortified enclosure of the capital built by Philippe II of France the early 13th century.[3][4] The Château's primary function was as a military base to protect the city of Paris from invasion through the Seine, rather than acting as a private reside for the monarch.[5]
Although monarch did not reside at the Château, Henry II of France died there in 1559 from wounds he received in a joust against Gabriel Montgomery.[6] Devastated by the loss of her husband, and because she supposedly disliked the medieval style of the Château, the widowed Queen Catherine de' Medici declared the building be abandoned.[7]
From 1632, at the advice of Saint Vincent de Paul, it was used to house prisoners condemned to work as rowers in galleys rather than remaining incarcerated at the Conciergerie.[3]
Gallery edit
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Quai and Porte Saint-Bernard, Château de la Tournelle and former Pont de la Tournelle in 1635 -
Area of the Château de la Tournelle in 1734 -
Porte Saint-Bernard and Château de la Tournelle around 1780
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (August 2011) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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References edit
- ^ "Tour d'Argent – Paris - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide.
- ^ "History – Sembleue – Memories of France: A walk to the Bastille on Mayday via the Marais district". Sembleue. 2018-03-09.
- ^ a b Zvuluny, Eli (2023). "The ultimate street signs, historical sites and house numbers site | Monuments and History | Sign's details: Paris - History of Paris - The Château de la Tournelle". www.streetsigns.co.il.
- ^ The enclosure of Philippe Auguste around 1300 on paris-atlas-histoire.fr
- ^ "Château de la Tournelle - Under your feet". Mapotic.
- ^ Baumgartner, Frederic J. (1988). Henry II, King of France 1547-1559. Duke University Press. Durham, NC : Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-0795-2.
- ^ Paris Marias, The Guide to Le Marais. "Le Palais des Tournelles". www.parismarais.com.