Original: The Bastille ( ) was a fortress-prison in Paris , known formally as Bastille Saint-Antoine -- Number 232 , Rue Saint-Antoine -- best known today because of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 , which along with the Tennis Court Oath is considered the beginning of the French Revolution .
Simplified: The Bastille was built in a rectangle shape , 70 meters ( 220 ft ) long and 30 meters ( 90 ft ) wide .