Palace · France · Restored

Palais de la Cité

The Palais de la Cité is the medieval royal palace and seat of royal justice on the Île de la Cité in Paris; its principal surviving medieval components are the Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie. Over many centuries it combined fortified riverfront walls, towers and courts with grand ceremonial halls, chapels and administrative chambers, and in the Middle Ages it housed the king's chambers, the Grand'Salle and the Parlement's chambers.

Recreate Palace to Explore →

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1313

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1313

What Palais de la Cité looked like in its prime.

A compact medieval palace complex along the Seine with high crenellated stone quay walls and clustered towers; steep conical and pyramidal slate roofs, leaded roof ridges and numerous slender pinnacles. The Sainte-Chapelle rises as a tall, narrow two-level chapel of pale limestone with large stained-glass bays and a decorated rose on its western face, topped by a spire; the Conciergerie presents a fortified riverside façade with round and square stone towers and narrow slit windows. Courtyards, arcaded galleries and a walled riverside garden sit within the enclosure.

Step inside

11 places to explore in 1313.

The record describes 11 distinct spots at Palais de la Cité, including 6 interiors: grand'salle (royal great hall) interior, salle des gens d'armes (guards' hall) below the grand'salle, sainte-chapelle upper chapel and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

River quay approach (Quai de l'Horloge)Conciergerie riverside façade and towersTour de l'Horloge (clock tower) frontCour du Mai and Grand Degré (main courtyard and great stair)Grand'Salle (royal great hall) interiorSalle des Gens d'Armes (guards' hall) below the Grand'SalleSainte-Chapelle upper chapelSainte-Chapelle lower chapelGalerie des Merciers and covered passage to the king's apartmentsRevestiaire and Trésor des Chartes (sacristy and archive building)Salle sur l'Eau (ceremonial hall on the water)

Build Your Own Castle