Tuileries Palace

Tuileries Palace was an extensive complex with two large pavilions and several courtyards, its facade stretching from the Louvre to what is now the garden boundary. Rich window decorations and a central roof once defined its form before the structure was destroyed.

Catherine de Medici commissioned the building from 1564, after her astrologer advised her to leave the old royal residence. A century later, during the Paris Commune in 1871, insurgents set fire to it, destroying the interiors, and the ruins were demolished in 1883.

The name refers to the tile factories that once occupied the site before the palace was constructed. Although the building is gone, the area remains part of the public gardens where Parisians walk, read and gather.

Visitors today find no visible remains of the building, but old drawings and photographs in the Louvre offer a sense of the original form. The public garden that occupies the former site is freely accessible during the day and provides a quiet spot for reflecting on the past.

After the fire of 1871, Parisian stonemasons salvaged parts of the destroyed facade and later reused individual elements in other buildings. Columns and reliefs from the original structure now decorate private estates and regional museums.

Location: Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

Inception: 1564

Architects: Philibert de l'Orme, Jean Bullant, Louis Le Vau

Architectural style: Renaissance

GPS coordinates: 48.86222,2.33111

Latest update: December 8, 2025 08:20