Tuileries Palace

The Tuileries Palace exists today as a phantom of scorched limestone foundations hidden beneath the gravel of the park. Catherine de Medici ordered the construction in fifteen sixty-four, placing it far outside the existing city walls to gain privacy. For centuries, it served as the primary residence for French monarchs, until May of eighteen seventy-one. During the chaos of the Paris Commune, insurgents set the building ablaze. The ruins stood for twelve years before the government cleared the site entirely to extend the gardens.