Medieval Louvre Castle

The medieval Louvre survives as a series of low stone walls and moats buried beneath the current palace courtyard. Philip Augustus ordered the construction in eleven ninety to protect the city while he departed for the Third Crusade. At its center stood a massive defensive keep surrounded by a deep, water-filled trench. In thirteen fifty-six, when English forces threatened Paris, the fortress became the king's primary residence, marking its evolution from a military outpost into a seat of royal power.