sites of public execution
The Louvre was built at the end of the 12th century as a fortress, but it wasn't until 1546 that Catherine de Medici decided to turn the building into a luxury residence. Once the renovations were completed, the royalty of France lived in the Louvre as well as other residences. In 1792, while Louis XVI was living in the adjacent Tuilleries, the guillotine was set up in front of the Palais Louvre, in the Place du Carousel, and many of the aristocracy were executed here during the French Revolution as a symbolic gesture. However, on January 21, 1793, the guillotine was moved for the event of the execution of Louis the XVI himself to the nearby Place de la Concorde, then called Place de la Révolution. Eight months after his execution, the Musée du Louvre was opened for the first time, making the Royal collection of art and antiquities available to the public.