The Louvre, Once a Palace,Tells History of Paris
Learn About World's Largest Art Museum, Storybook of French Royalty
Oct 24, 2009
What is it about the Louvre that tourists who never visit museums at home make a beeline there when visiting Paris for the first, or third, or even tenth time? Perhaps it's that the Louvre, which was once home to Louie XIV, the Sun King, is more than just a museum. It is, itself, an open storybook of French history and the birth of modern democracy. Over the centuries, the Louvre has been a fort, a palace, an administrative headquarters, a home for powerful ministers of state and finance, a national monument — and, today, a trove of classical art.
In presenting its own history online, Louvre historians note that "for almost seven hundred years the buildings constituted one of the principal residences of the kings and emperors of France."
The Palais du Louvre: Storybook of the History of Paris
Among the many major museums of the world, only a handful are housed in buildings that were once centers of power. The Louvre is one of them. London's British Museum was first built to house the collection of one prominent collector. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and Washington DC's Smithsonian were designed to be what, in fact, they remain today: museums. Rome's Vatican Museum evolved as part of the Vatican complex. The Louvre, along with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, stand out as palaces-turned-museums where historical events with far-reaching consequences played out. They do not simply house historical artifacts. They are historical artifacts, too.
Louvre, Home to Centuries of French Royalty, Abandoned for Versailles
Modern tourists may find it pleasant that the Louvre is built on the bank of a river, but in the 12th century, its location was a crucial part of the defense system for Paris, then Europe's largest city. HIghlights of the Louvre's history include:
- 12th century: King Philippe Auguste built the first of the buildings that now comprise the Louvre. It was erected shortly after 1190 as a medieval fortress to protect Paris against the threat of Anglo-Norman raiders, who burned and looted cities.
- 12th-16th century: For 400 years, French royalty lived in this large, gloomy fortress-palace. They rebuilt parts, added on new wings, and put their particular mark on the renovations of their predecessors.
- 16th century: King Francis I (1515-1547), a Renaissance patron of the arts and humanist, expanded the Louvre into a Renaissance "palace." It was under his reign that Leonardo da Vinci brought his painting the Mona Lisa to the Palais du Louvre. Francis I procured art by Italian masters Titian, Raphael and Michaelangelo. These artworks remain in the Louvre today.
- Late 16th, early 17th century: Bourbon King Henry IV (1589-1610) added a "grand gallery" bordering the Seine linking a château built by Catherine de Médicis in the Tuilerie to the Louvre palace.
- 17th century: King Louis XIV, Louie the Great (1643-1715) resided at the Louvre until his departure for Versailles in 1678.
- 17th-18th centuries: The era of the Louvre as a home to royalty came to an end in the18th century. When the King and his court moved away from Paris, they did what modern families do: they cleaned house. And, rather than lug the past with them, they left behind several hundred old paintings, furniture, carpets and other valuables.
How the Art Museum Collections Evolved
The collections of the Louvre began with 16th-century King Frances I. During the 17th century, France became increasingly powerful in Europe and its rulers bought a great number of paintings and sculptures, including some by the great Dutch and Flemish masters. Napoleonic rulers expanded the Louvre’s collection. It has since grown through gifts and purchases.
When the Louvre Shifted from Royal Palace to Public Art Museum
The treasures of the Louvre were not on display to the public until 1793, during the bloody tumult of the French Revolution. One can only imagine what the angry mobs thought, said, and did, when they saw the centuries-old stored up riches belonging to French nobility.
The story of the Louvre is of interest to both tourists and armchair travelers, and history buffs. To learn more, read about the Louvre's history, or visit the Sully section of the Louvre (the "Medieval Louvre") to see models, paintings, plans and documents pertaining to the building. Or, visit the excellent city history museum of Paris, Musée Carnavalet.
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