Pierre-François Palloy (23 January 1755 – 1835), self-styled as ''Palloy Patriote'' (Palloy the Patriot), was an entrepreneurial building contractor remembered for the demolition of the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

Life

Palloy was born in 1755 in Paris. Both his parents came from bourgeois families active in the wine retailing industry. Palloy was educated at the ''College d'Harcourt'', where many of the students were from upper-class liberal backgrounds.

Simon Schama Sir Simon Michael Schama ( ; born 13 February 1945) is an English historian and television presenter. He specialises in art history, Dutch history, Jewish history, and French history. He is a professor of history and art history at Columbia Uni ...

, page 409 " Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution", He left school at the age of fifteen to join the

French Royal Army The French Royal Army () was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude from 1792 to 1814 and another du ...

as a cadet and then as an officer. On leaving this career at the age of twenty, he married the daughter of a building contractor and joined the trade himself, eventually taking over his new family's business. By 1789 he had made the company one of the largest building firms in Paris, employing 400 workers.Lüsebrink, Hans-Jürgen. Reichardt, Rolf. ''The Bastille: a history of a symbol of despotism and freedom''. Duke University Press Books, 27 June 1997. p. 114–134

Demolition of the Bastille

When the Bastille fell on 14 July 1789 there was some debate as to what should replace it, or indeed if it should remain as a monument to the past. However, Palloy knew exactly what he wanted to do and by that evening had begun the process of dismantling the structure; he secured the contract to demolish the building two days later. Most of the building was removed over the subsequent months by approximately 1,000 workers.Place de la Bastille, Part 5
Discover France. Accessed 20 August 2011. The

dimension stone Dimension stone is natural stone or Rock (geology), rock that has been selected and finished (e.g., trimmed, cut, drilled or ground) to specific sizes or shapes. Color, Texture (geology), texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are ...

s were reused for the construction of the Pont de la Concorde.Lost Paris: The Elephant on the Place de la Bastille
. 24 May 2011. Accessed 20 August 2011. Although Palloy did not receive the official payment for several years, he knew how to profit from the possession of such an iconic structure in the meantime. Staff conducted tours, for a fee, to show the public around the basements and dungeons with skeletons as props. Palloy labelled himself a

patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

and emphasised the symbolism of the Bastille, writing speeches, painting pictures, and even arranging celebratory festivals and theatrical reconstructions of the day the Bastille fell. He sold other parts as souvenirs including replica Bastilles made from the stones of the building itself. He even sent examples of these miniatures to each of the 83 departments asking only to be reimbursed for transport and postage.

Later life

In early 1794 Palloy was held in prison on charges of

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

and of being a Hébertist, but was released after two months. In 1814 he was awarded the Décoration du Lys.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palloy, Pierre-Francois 1755 births 1835 deaths Businesspeople from Paris People of the French Revolution Book reference Medals Numismatique et documents by Gilles Michaud 2011