Enfants-Rouges in Paris in Département de Paris, Île-de-France, France — Western Europe
Le donjon du Temple
⎯⎯⎯
The Temple Tower
| — | Histoire de Paris | — |
Photographed by Emile Leblanc, April 18, 2025
1. Le donjon du Temple / Tower Keep Marker
Après la démolition des fortifications de l'enclos du Temple en 1667, seule subsiste une tour crenelée et carrée, de 15 metres de côté, bâtre sous le règne de Saint Louis. Le 13 août 1792, la Commune de Paris décide d'y loger Louis XVI et la famille royale, au terme d'un diner servi dans le palais du Grand Prieur devant tout un quartier en liesse. Les Parisiens, ignorent longtemps les conditions réelles de détention des prisonniers. Seul, le roi sort deux fois pour assister à son procès, jusqu'à l'exécution du 21 janvier 1793; la reine est guillotinée à son tour le 16 octobre. Le dauphin meurt, sans doute en 1794, de tuberculose osseuse; "l'orpheline du Temple", libérée en 1795, prend le chemin de l'exil. Le donjon est démoli en 1810, et la mairie entreprise en 1862.
The Temple Tower
After the demolition of the Temple enclosure fortifications in 1667, only a crenellated, square tower, 15 meters on each side, remained, built during the reign of Saint Louis. On August 13, 1792, the Paris Commune decided to house Louis XVI and the royal family there, after a dinner served in the Grand Prior's Palace before a jubilant neighborhood. Parisians were long unaware of the prisoners' actual conditions of detention. Only the king left twice to attend his trial, until the execution on January 21, 1793; the queen was guillotined in turn on October 16. The dauphin died, probably in 1794, of bone tuberculosis; the "orphan of the Temple," freed in 1795, went into exile. The keep was demolished in 1810, and the town hall began in 1862.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Government & Politics • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Histoire de Paris series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1667.
Location. 48° 51.842′ N,
this page online
Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony and also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Eglise Saint-Elisabeth / Church of Saint Elizabeth (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); Albert Marcadé (about 210 meters away); L‘École Élémentaire Vertus Jewish Student Deportation Memorial (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); David Liberman (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Pierre Mendes France (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Lycee Turgot Deported Jewish Student Memorial (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Hôtel Jean-Bart (approx. 0.3 kilometers away);
Photographed by Emile Leblanc, April 18, 2025
2. Le donjon du Temple / The Temple Tower Marker - wide view
Also see . . . Tour du Temple (Wikipedia, in French). Overview (in translation):
The Temple Tower and its enclosure constituted the Maison du Temple, a former Parisian fortress located in the northern Marais district of Paris's 3rd arrondissement. It was destroyed in 1808.(Submitted on June 10, 2025.)
Built by the Templars beginning in 1240 during the reign of Saint Louis, it later became a prison. It owes its fame to the fact that it served as a jail for Louis XVI and the royal family from 1792 to 1795, and that the 10-year-old Dauphin Louis-Charles of France (Louis XVII to his supporters) died there. Having become a royalist pilgrimage site since the early 19th century, the Temple Tower was therefore destroyed on the orders of Napoleon I in 1808.
Additional keywords. panneau, French Revolution
Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 346 times since then and 167 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2025, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
