A Short History of The Louvre - The Building

It first became the official royal residence under Charles V who also constructed a new perimeter with a moat (part of the moat still exists and can be seen from the rue de l'Amiral). In one of the towers he installed his famous library which was eventually dispersed.

The Louvre fortress as it looked during the reign of Charles V. This image is from the medieval book of hours " Les Trés Riches Heures du Duc de Berry". It is from the calendar section for the month of October.

Significant alterations were made by François I (who commissioned the architect Pierre Lescot in 1546), and renovations of the west and south wings were carried out during the reigns of Henri II, Charles IX, and Henri III. (Lescot died in 1571.)

In 1564 Catherine de Médicis decided to build a new residence at a site roughly 500 metres west of the old Louvre: the Palais des Tuileries. This area - which was beyond the city walls, was known as the ``Sablonniére'' and occupied by tile kilns (tuileries).

The Louvre from a map of 1870, clearly shows the Palais des Tuileries enclosing the western side of what is now called simply the Louvre. The Palais des Tuileries was burned during the Commune, and later razed completely during the Third Republic.

Philibert Delorme was commissioned to build the palace. He was succeeded in 1570 by Jean Bullant, but construction stopped in 1572.

Catherine also began construction of a wing extending along the Seine called the Galerie du Bord de l'Eau (The Waterside Gallery). This Galerie was to connect the Tuileries with the old Louvre, but the project was unfinished until Henri IV completed it.

In the process he added the Pavillon de Flore as well as a short wing at right angles to the Galerie. Work stopped in 1610 when Henri IV died.

The Galerie du Bord de l'Eau ends in the Pavillon de Flore, shown here at the foot of the Pont Royal. The Pavillon, after being damaged during the Commune (1871) was restored during the Third Republic (image Jean-Christophe Monier).

The Cour Carrée in its present form was begun by Louis XIII, and continued under Louis XIV. Le Mercier - architect of the Sorbonne - built the Pavillon de l'Horloge (the Clock Pavilion) and extended it by an exact replica of Pierre Lescot's edifice.

At the same time from 1664 to 1667 Le Vau remodeled the Palais des Tuileries and built the Pavillon de Marsan on the northern end.

In 1682 the court left the Louvre for Versailles and building stopped.

During much of the 18th century the Louvre was used for a variety of purposes, including a public concert hall, Opera, and even the Comédie Française occupied a theater originally built by Louis XIV. Except for the royal apartments, much of the Louvre was given over to various tenants (artists, etc.).

Napoléon moved into the Tuileries in 1800. Building - under the direction of the architect Fontaine - resumed. The northern gallery along rue de Rivoli, and linking to the Pavillon de Marsan was begun.

Finally, under Napoléon III the Cour Napoléon was built which completely connected the Palais des Tuileries with the Cour Carrée.

During the Commune of May 1871, the Tuileries was put to the torch, and the burned out hulk survived until 1882 when the Third Republic razed the ruined palace, but restored the Pavillon de Flore and the Pavillon de Marsan (carried out by Lefuel).

In 1981, as part of a large project to last until 1997 - Le Grand Louvre - Ieoh Ming Pei was commissioned to create a new reception area and modernized entrance to the Museum. The Pyramid officially opened in April 1989.