The Palais de Justice (, ) is a judicial centre and courthouse in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, located on the
テ四e de la Citテゥ
The テ四e de la Citテゥ (; English: City Island, "Island of the City") is one of the two natural islands on the Seine River (alongside, テ四e Saint-Louis) in central Paris. It spans of land. In the 4th century, it was the site of the fortress of ...
. It contains the
Court of Appeal of Paris, the busiest appellate court in France, and France's highest court for ordinary cases, the
Court of Cassation
A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...
. It formerly housed the
Tribunal de grande instance de Paris which was relocated in 2018 to a new high-rise building in Paris's
Batignolles neighbourhood.
The Palais de Justice occupies a large part of the medieval
Palais de la Citテゥ
The Palais de la Citテゥ (), located on the Seine River's テ四e de la Citテゥ, is a major historic building in the centre of Paris, France. It was an occasional residence of the Kings of France from the early 6th to the 12th century and a permanent one ...
, the former royal palace of the kings of France, which also includes
Sainte Chapelle, the royal chapel, and the
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () () is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the テ四e de la Citテゥ, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Citテゥ, which also included ...
, a notorious former prison, which operated from 1380 to 1914. It is located in close proximity to the
Tribunal of Commerce, the
Prefecture of Police of Paris
The Paris Police Prefecture ( ), officially the Police Prefecture (), is the unit of the French Minister of the Interior (France), Ministry of the Interior that provides police, emergency services, and various administrative services to the po ...
, and the offices of the Paris Bar Association.
History
Royal Courtroom to Revolutionary courtroom
Under King
Robert II of France
Robert II ( 972 窶 20 July 1031), called the Pious () or the Wise (), was List of French monarchs, King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted his father on military matters ...
the Palais de la Citテゥ began to serve as the home of a high court or council for the King. He constructed the Hall of the King, where the
Curia Regis, or King's Council met. This was replaced by a much larger hall, the Grand Chamber, under
Philip IV (1268-34). This enormous hall began to be used for theatrical performances, the meetings of the
Parlement of Paris
The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...
, a judicial body composed of the high French nobility.
In 1358, a Paris uprising led by the merchant
Etienne Marcel caused the future king,
Charles V of France
Charles V (21 January 1338 窶 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...
, to depart Paris for safer quarters farther from the center of Paris; first at the
Hテエtel Saint-Pol, then near 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 ...
, then the
Louvre Castle. The judicial function, however, remained at the old palace. The Parlement of Paris, meeting in the Grand Chamber, was an appeals court for royal tribunals and the court of first instance in cases involving the nobility. Furthermore, its approval was required for royal ordinances. This gave it growing power in the feuds between the monarchy and the nobility.
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 窶 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
attended his first court session there in 1715 at age five. The other judicial offices that remained were the
Chambre des comptes
Under the French monarchy, the Courts of Accounts (in French ''Chambres des comptes'', ) were sovereign courts specialising in financial affairs. The Court of Accounts in Paris was the oldest and the forerunner of today's French Court of Audi ...
and the Chancellery.
The very decorative gilded wrought iron grillwork and gateway were put in place in 1776. The faテァade and principal entrance of the palace, facing the Court of May, was entirely rebuilt between 1783 and 1786 with a neo-classical colonnade.
During the
French Revolution, the Grand Chamber, where the Parlement of Paris had met, became the courtroom of the
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal (; unofficially Popular Tribunal) was a court instituted by the National Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders. In October 1793, it became one of the most powerful engines of ...
, which rapidly tried and sentenced those accused of opposing the Revolution. Those convicted were usually taken to the guillotine the same day. In 718 days, up until 31 May 1795, the Tribunal sent 2,780 persons to the guillotine. Among the last to be executed was the Chief Prosecutor,
Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville, bringing the
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...
to a close.
File:Lit de justice tenu par Louis XV.jpg, Lit de justice
In France under the Ancien Rテゥgime, the ''lit de justice'' (, "bed of justice") was a particular formal session of the Parlement of Paris, under the presidency of the King of France, for the compulsory registration of the royal edicts and to im ...
at the Parlement of Paris
The ''Parlement'' of Paris () was the oldest ''parlement'' in the Kingdom of France, formed in the 14th century. Parlements were judicial, rather than legislative, bodies and were composed of magistrates. Though not representative bodies in the p ...
on 12 September 1715
File:Louis XVI le 19 novembre 1787 - Musテゥe de la Rテゥvolution franテァaise.jpg, Lit de justice of the Parlement of Paris, attended by Louis XVI, in the Grand Chamber (19 November 1787)
File:Procティs de Marie-Antoinette le 15 octobre 1793.jpg, Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 窶 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...
at the Revolutionary Tribunal, 15 October 1793
A new Palace of Justice (19th century)
In the first half of the 19th century, the palace became entirely devoted to the justice system. Under the reign of
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 窶 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, the
Restoration and the
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...
, various projects were put forward for a new and larger structure. Between 1820 and 1828, the architect Antoine-Marie Peyre built a new faテァade between tower of the Horloge and the Tower of Bombec, and the access to the
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () () is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the テ四e de la Citテゥ, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Citテゥ, which also included ...
was moved to the Quai de Bombec.
Between 1837 and 1840, a new project for the building was developed by the architect
Jean-Nicolas Huyot. Unlike most of the proposed structures, which were in the neo-classical style, with columns and pediments, Huyot's plan was neo-Renaissance. Unfortunately, on August 3, 1840, after all the final approvals had been received, Huyot died. Two weeks later the architects
Joseph-Louis Duc and Etienne-Theodore Dommey were selected to build the structure. Construction took place between 1847 and 1871. The project included a new faテァade on the Boulevard de Paris, the restoration of the other buildings within the old palace, and a new building for the Cour de Cassation.
In March 1871, as the building was nearing completion, the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870窶71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
seized power in the city. Work was abruptly halted. Then, in May, 1871, as the French army moved to take back the city from the Communards in what became known as the
Semaine Sanglante
The ''Semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune.
Following the Treaty of Frankfurt ...
("Bloody Week窶), arsonists from the Commune, rapidly losing ground to the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
, set fire to the interior of the new building, almost entirely destroying it.
Shortly after 1871, the reconstruction resumed, under Duc and
Honorテゥ Daumet, and continued for more than twenty years. Duc completed the faテァade of Harlay, while Daumet rebuilt the
Cour of Appeals. The work was finished by Albert Tournaire with the completion of the
Tribunal correctionnel at the southeast corner, on the quai des Orfevres. The Conciergerie, beneath the palace, was opened to the public in 1914, and all prison functions in the building stopped in 1934.
File:Grand escalier latテゥral en 1825.jpg, Grand lateral stairway in 1825
File:Paris - Vue du Palais de Justice.jpg, The Cour de May entrance of the Palace in the 1860s
File:ROUQUETTE(1871) p321 Palais de Justice.jpg, Hall of the "Pas Perdus" of the Palais de Justice (1870)
File:Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870-1871, Cent Photographies, Premier Volume. DP161596.jpg, Hall of the Pas Perdus" after the arson of the palace by the Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870窶71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
during the "Semaine Sanglante
The ''Semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune.
Following the Treaty of Frankfurt ...
", May 23, 1871
War Crimes, departures and transformation (20th-21st century)
In October 1945, after the end of World War II, the Palais of Justice courtrooms were used to try the highest French officials who had collaborated with the
Nazi occupation. Those put on trial included the former prime minister
Pierre Laval
Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 窶 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931窶1932 and 1935窶1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942窶1944 during Vich ...
and Marshal
Philippe Pテゥtain
Henri Philippe Bテゥnoni Omer Joseph Pテゥtain (; 24 April 1856 窶 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pテゥtain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...
. Laval was found guilty and was executed in October 1945 by a firing squad. Petain was also found guilty and sentenced to death, but due to his age and past service his sentence was reduced to imprisonment and then transfer to a hospital. He died at the age of 95 on July 23, 1951.
By the 21st century, the Palace of Justice had become too small for some of its functions. In 2018, the Tribunal judiciaire de Paris, the court formerly known as the
Tribunal de grande instance de Paris, was moved to a modern high-rise tower, the Tribunal de Paris, by architect
Renzo Piano at
Batignolles, in the 17th arrondissement. The
Tribunal d'instance
In France prior to 2020, the ''Tribunal d'instance'' (literally "Court of First Instance") was a judicial lower court of record of first instance for general civil suits and included a criminal division, the Police Court (''tribunal de police''), ...
petit (court of first instance) also moved to the new Tribunal de Paris effective January 1, 2020.
File:Pierre Laval at his trial 1945.jpg, Trial of former prime minister Pierre Laval
Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 窶 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931窶1932 and 1935窶1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942窶1944 during Vich ...
, October 1945
File:Procティs Pテゥtain.jpg, Trial of Marshal Philippe Pテゥtain
Henri Philippe Bテゥnoni Omer Joseph Pテゥtain (; 24 April 1856 窶 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pテゥtain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...
, 1945
The Palace of Justice today
File:Paris Palais de Justice 2.jpg, East entrance of the Cour de Cassation on the Cour de Mai (19th century)
File:Paris Palais de Justice Gate 03.JPG, Detail of the gateway to the Cour de Mai, east front
File:Cour de Cassation, Paris 140320 1.jpg, South front of the Cour de Cassation, facing the Seine
File:Palais Justice Paris.jpg, West front of the Palace of Justice
Some historic parts of the Palace were opened to the public in 1914, and in 1934 the prison of the
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () () is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the テ四e de la Citテゥ, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Citテゥ, which also included ...
was definitely closed. The lower portion of the Conciergerie became an historical heritage site, while the upper levels continued to be occupied by judicial offices.
The formal entrance to the Palais de Justice is through the Cour de Mai, or "May Courtyard". The lace-ike gilded iron gateway was part of the 19th century reconstruction. Inside, most of the space is occupied by the courtrooms, legal offices, and support functions, including a large law library. Together these occupy about 4500 square meters of the building. Each day the Palais receives about thirteen thousand persons.
The
Cour de Cassation is one of the four courts of last resort in France. It has jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters triable in the judicial system, and is the supreme court of appeal in these cases. It has jurisdiction to review the law, and to certify questions of law, to determine miscarriages of justice.
Though the old Conciergerie prison was closed, the Palace still has three detention facilities. The "Depot", under the control of the
Paris Police Prefecture
The Paris Police Prefecture ( ), officially the Police Prefecture (), is the unit of the French Minister of the Interior (France), Ministry of the Interior that provides police, emergency services, and various administrative services to the po ...
, for those prisoners in "Garde テ vue", who most report regularly to the police. About eighty such individuals come to the Depot each day. The second is the "Souriciティre", a holding area for prisoners before they are taken to a hearing before a judge. This part of the building, under the control of the prison administration, has about seventy-five cells. Finally there is the center for administrative detention, for detaining persons with an irregular legal status.
[du Luart, Roland, "Implantation du tribunal de grande instance de Paris", Report of Information for the Committee of Finances of the French Senate, October 14, 2009]
File:Paris, France. PALAIS DE LA JUSTICE (Salle des pas perdus) (PA00085991) (2).jpg, Hall of the "Pas Perdus" leading to courtrooms
File:Palais de justice de Paris - salle d'audience de la premiティre chambre civile de la Cour de cassation.jpg, First Chamber of the civil Cour de Cassation
File:Palais de justice de Paris - salle d'audience de la chambre criminelle de la Cour de cassation.jpg, Courtroom in the Cour de Cassation
File:Bibliothティque de la Cour de cassation franテァaise 2.jpg, Library of the Cour de Cassation
See also
*
Palais de la Citテゥ
The Palais de la Citテゥ (), located on the Seine River's テ四e de la Citテゥ, is a major historic building in the centre of Paris, France. It was an occasional residence of the Kings of France from the early 6th to the 12th century and a permanent one ...
*
Court of Cassation (France)
The Court of Cassation (, ) is the supreme court for civil and criminal cases in France. It is France's highest court. It is one of the country's four superior courts, along with the Conseil d'テ液at (France), Council of State, the Constitutiona ...
*
Court of Appeal (France)
In France, a ''cour d'appel'' (; court of appeal) of the ''ordre judiciaire'' (judiciary) is a ''juridiction de droit commun du second degrテゥ'', an appellate court of general jurisdiction. It reviews the judgments of a ''tribunal judiciaire''. Whe ...
*
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie () () is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the テ四e de la Citテゥ, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Citテゥ, which also included ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
A visit of the Hall of Justice(official site of the
Paris Court of Appeal)
Palais de Justiceat lartnouveau.com
{{Authority control
Courthouses in France
テ四e de la Citテゥ
Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris