The Palais de Justice (French pronunciation: [palɛ də ʒystis]),
located in the Île de la Cité in central Paris, France, is built
on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis, of which
the Sainte Chapelle remains. Thus the justice of the state has
been dispensed at this site since medieval times. From the
sixteenth century to the French Revolution this was the seat of
the Parlement de Paris. The Palais also contains the ancient
structure of the Conciergerie, a former prison, now a museum,
where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned before being executed on
the guillotine. The architects of the monumental white-marble
Second-Empire Palais de Justice (built from 1857 to 1868) were
Joseph-Louis Duc and Honoré Daumet. The exterior includes
sculptural work by Jean-Marie Bonnassieux. Security is
maintained by gendarmes.