Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-06-28
THE PALACE OF TUE LOUVRE.

gardens and terraces. In the rcigns
Of tho Sixth, Seventh and Eighth
Charleses, and tho Eleventh and
Twelfth Louiscs, il was converted in.
to a fortress. Francis !. invited his
great rival, Charles ", to accept his
hospitalities. IL was in this mon.
arch's reign that theiactual louvre
had its beginning. Pierre Lcscot, om
offthe greatest architects of tho re.
naissance, assisted by the scalptors,
Jean Goujon and Paul Poncino, was
intrusted with the work. Scrlio, an
architect, of Bologna, built one of the
galleries and covered IL with ter
race under the auspices of Henry w,
This monarch conceived the idea Of
joining the house with the Tuilcries,
project which was adopted by Louis
XIV. inspired by Colbert, who doubt
less wished TO associate his ministry
with such a work in imitation Of the
builder of the Palais Cardinal. After
tho death Of Louis XIV little was
done until the middle of the last cen.
tury, when the architect Gabriel was
employed to finish tho three facades
commenced by Colbert's architect,
Claude Perrault, and the vcstibule of
Rue Marengo was completed by Souf
aot. After the campaign of Italy, the
art treasures brought back to Paris
required suitable galleries. 1t was de.
termined to prepare the Louvre ior
them. The great staircase of the
Museums Of Ancient Art, the stair
cases on the two extreme ends of the
colonnade, the Egyptian Museum, the
chambers for the Council of State, and
other portions of the Louvre were
built NJ. Theirs, when Prime Minister
of Louis Philippe, proposed to spend
$4,000 francs on the completion of the
palace, but the suggestion was not ac-
cepted After the revolution of 1913,
100000 francs were appropriated to
the restoration of the Apollo Gallery
and the general repair Of the building.
The decoration of the interior was in.
trusted to Dclacroix. The new Louvre,
begun in accordance with the plan of
the provisional government in 1852,
was completed in 1857, at a cost of
s6,000.0O0 1t was built by Visconti
and Lefuel, The Tullerics aud Louvre
form ono palace now aud cover sixty
acres. The Louvre is situated on the
right bank of the Seine and consists of
the old and new Louvre. The old
Louvre forms square $40 feet long
and 1873 wide, enclosing quadrangle
Of 400 feet square. The fame of its
Corintbian colonnade on the eastern
facade, looking towards the Church Of
st. Gcrmain PAuxerroit, is world wide
The new Louvre consists of two lateral
piles of buildings projecting at right
angles from the two parallel galleries
which Joined the old Louvre with the
Tuileries. Between the Rue de Rivoli
and the Square Napoleon III. they
have front Of 300 feet, intersected by
three pavilions, to be occupied by the
Department of State and of the lnte-
rior, by the Administration of the Tc.
lcgraph, the imperial library and
permanent exhibition of fne arts
There is also in the Louvre the council
chamber to be used as an assembly
room for the public bodies of the ma
ton on the opening Of the Legislature
and on such occasions. 1t communi-
Gates with tho Tulerios. r..
THE HOTEL DE VILE.
During the long duel of the feudal
ages between the monarchy and the
nobility, the Commune, the Hanse,"
as il was originally called, Of Paris,
(its origin, like that of the Hanse
towns" Of Germany, referring to
community Of merchants which as.
sumed fiscal rights overthc navigation
of the Seine, made itself the ally of
the King. The meetings Of this body
were held first in house on the quay,
now called Megisserie. Thence they
were transferred to building on the
place now known as the Place du Cha.
telet, and this building was called the
I" Parlor Aux Bourgeois" or talking.
place Of the burgcsscs. Philip Angus.
tus next gave the merchants a refuge
in one Of the towers of the fortiiica-
tions which he reared around Paris.
1t was in 1857, five centuries ago, that
the municipality was lodged where it
has ever since remained. ln that year
the famous "Provost of the Mer-
chants" Stephen Marcel bought
house on tho Place of the Public Exc,
cutions, La Grove, called the House
of Pillars" Nearly two centuries
later, when the Italian genius domin,
ated France in art and politics, the
" House of the Pillars" was pulled
down and new edifce was begun
under the supervision of Signor Do
minico Bocarno dc Corlonc Under
the Terror this edfice was extended
by the annexation to il Of the confs
Gated church of St John en,Grcve
and Hospital of the Holy Ghost.
The first Napoleon, among his many
grand projects, contemplated sweeping
away all but the building of the six
tecnth century, and developing the
uetcl dc Vile into one of the most
stately and splendid palaces of En-.
rope. Leipsic and Waterloo cut this
project short, with many others, and
it was only under Louis Philippe (who
had been proclaimed King OF the
French from its balconics) that in the
year 1885 the Hotel de Vile was
brought by an expenditure of some
three millions of dollars nearly in.o
its present condition. Alas we must
now say It's copdition !
To recall the thrilling cvcnts which
have eliminated in and around tho
Hotel do ViIc would be TO sketch the
history of modern France. The Hotel
dc Vile was the headquarters of the
daring Duke of Guise, the King of
Paris" in bis war against Henry III.
Within its walls the leaders Of the
rronde took refuge. Under Louis
XIII. il helped Richeliou against the
Huguenots Of La Rachelle. Under
Louis XVI, II defed the monarchy by
which ii had boen protected into being