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Origin and history

The Palais de Justice de Paris, located on the island of La Cité, is the heir of the ancient curia regis, seat of royal power from the 10th to the 14th century. It now houses the Court of Cassation, the Court of Appeal of Paris and the Court of Special Assizes. The site, originally residence of the kings of France (like Charles V before his transfer to the Hotel Saint-Pol), preserves medieval remains: the Conciergerie, the Sainte-Chapelle, and historical rooms like the Grand-Salle. The judicial institutions (Parliament of Paris, Chamber of Accounts) remained there after the departure of the kings.

The Palace suffered several notable fires: in 1601 (destruction of the statues of the kings of France), 1618 (Grandsalle rebuilt by Salomon de Brosse), 1630 (arrow of the Sainte-Chapelle), and 1776 (part between Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle). The neo-classical façade of the Courtyard of May, with its golden grid of Bigonnet (1776), dates from 1783-1786. During the Revolution he housed the Revolutionary Tribunal (1793-1795), then replaced by the Court of Cassation.

Under the Restoration and monarchy of July, the Palace is enlarged to respond to the increase in judicial affairs. The architects Huyot, then Duc and Dommey, carried out colossal works from 1840, interrupted by the revolution of 1848. Napoleon III revived them, but the fire of 1871 (Commune de Paris) destroyed a quarter of the work. The reconstruction, entrusted to Honoré Daumet after 1879, was gradually completed. In 1907, demolitions allowed an extension by Albert Tournaire.

In the 20th century, the Palace became a central judicial symbol, hosting until 2018 the Tribunal de grande instance (moved in the 17th arrondissement). The southern façade, marked by the bullets of the Liberation (1944), and the glass window cracked during an escape in 1975 testify to its turbulent history. Since 2016, redevelopment projects (Dominique Perrault, Philippe Bélaval) aim to open the site to the public, linking Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle with covered spaces, while modernizing judicial premises.

Today, the Palace welcomes 13,000 daily visitors and houses places of detention (the "deposit", the "mousemaker"). There is still a popular film venue (Le Clan des Sicilians, J'accuse de Polanski) and a heritage issue, with renovations planned until 2040. In 2020-2021, the Public Lobby hosted historical trials (2015 attacks, Mediator case).

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