Tuileries Palace
Up to 1871 the Tuileries Palace was a palace in Paris, France,on the right bank of the River Seine.
After the death of Henry II of France in 1559, his widow, Catherine de' Medici (1519-1589) planned a new palace. She began the building of the palace of Tuileries in 1564, using architect Philibert de l'Orme. The name derives from the tile kilns or tuileries which previously occupied the site. The palace was formed by a series of long, narrow buildings with high roofs that created one major and two minor courtyards. The southeast corner of Tuileries joined the Louvre. The building was greatly enlarged in the 1600s.
King Louis XIV resided at the Tuileries Palace while Versailles was under construction. When he left, the building was virtually abandoned. It was used only as a theater. During the French Revolution, Louis XVI and his family were forced to live there under house arrest, starting in October 1789. They tried to escape on the evening of June 20, 1791, but were captured at Varennes and were returned to the Tuileries. The Tuileries were later stormed on August 10, 1792.
For a time, the National Convention held its sessions in the Tuileries. When Napoleon came into power he made Tuileries his home.
As Napoleon's chief residence Tuileries Palace was redecorated in the Empire Neoclassical style by some of the best known architects, designers, and furniture makers of the day. One of the artists, Pierre Paul Prud'hon's (1758-1823) most splendid commissions was to design the apartments of the new empress, Marie-Louise, in the Tuileries Palace. For the bridal suite of the Empress Marie-Louise he designed all the furniture and interior decorations in a Greek Revival style.
The Tuileries Palace served as the royal residence after the Bourbon Restoration.
Supporters of the Paris Commune destroyed most of the palace in 1871.
Today, the gardens, formerly west of the palace, remain. The Tuileries Gardens (French Jardins des Tuileries) are surrounded by the Louvre, the Seine, the Place de la Concorde and the Rue de Rivoli. They are part of the Axe historique.
Aerial view of the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens, beside the River Seine
The gardens cover about 63 acres (25 hectares) and still closely follow a design laid out by landscape architect Andre Le Notre in 1664. His spacious formal garden plan drew out the perspective from the reflecting pools one to the other in an unbroken vista.
The Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume is a museum of contemporary art located in the north-west corner of the gardens.