On Vacation Guide Book Paris | Page 41

1 0 .   C O N C I E R G E R I E 2 BOULEVARD DU PALAIS In the heart of Paris , on the banks of the Seine , is the Gothic castle of the Conciergerie , the oldest part of the Palais de la Cité , the former residence of the kings of France and the prison during the French Revolution . The concierge , who was the actual owner of the castle , was a high - ranking person in the kingdom . He was appointed by the king to maintain order , control over the police and account for the prisoners . In the 6th century , Clovis founded his royal residence on the Île de la Cité . In 1200 , Philip II of France made the Palais de la Cite the seat of the power of the Capetian dynasty . Louis IX embellished the building , having built a palace chapel . Subsequently , Philip IV reconstructed and expanded the palace to accommodate the administrative institutions of the kingdom . The Parliament of Paris - the leading judicial organ of the kingdom - was also located in the palace . The main events of the revolutionary court , held in the palace between 1793 and 1795 , marked the transition from revolution to terror . The Conciergerie was the main prison . Marie Antoinette spent her last days here . The palace was subsequently used as a control apparatus of the Republican courts , and later itself became the court building .