Birthplace of Paris: Isle de La Cite
Located in the centre of Paris , in the middle of the River Seine, the Romans originally used the island known as Isle de La Cite as a fortress.
It became the centre of medieval Paris in the 12th century and an important religious centre the home of Notre-Dame cathedral and the majestic royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, built by Louis IX to house holy relics he had brought from Jerusalem.
The island was also the site of the first hospital in the city as well as its oldest surviving bridge, the Pont Neuf.
With the departure of the French kings to the Louvre Palace, and then to the Palace of Versailles, the island became France’s judicial centre. In 1302, it hosted the first meeting of the Paris Parliament and was later the site of the trials of aristocrats during the French Revolution.
La Conciergerie, situated in an old gothic palace next to Sainte- Chapelle ,was converted into a prison where those convicted at show trials in the Palais de Justice next door were held before being guillotined.
The prisoners included Marie Antionette the hated wife of executed king , Louis XV1
Destination – France
