A Brief History of the Louvre

The Louvre is one of Paris's most famous landmarks and attracts millions of people each year. Built by Phillip II, now only small remnants of the original building still exist in the crypt of the current palace. The general consensus is that world famous Louvre was constructed on an existing tower in the same area of Paris although it is not know whether it was the first building to be built in that area.

During the Middle Ages The Louvre Palace was constantly adjusted and rebuilt - the fort was converted into a residence and redecorated in the style of the renaissance. Francis I was also the King who made the Louvre the home of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. In 1682, Louis X1V decided to live in Versailles and the Louvre was used as a residence for French artists.

Paris Musuem

In the 18th century, The Louvre was turned into an exhibition of the royal collections after high public demand under Louis XV. They were displayed to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays and included Andrea del Sarto's Charity and works by Raphael. This later became a policy of Louis XVI until the French Revolution.
In 1791, the newly formed French assembly made the Louvre "a place for bringing together monuments of all the sciences and arts" and in 1792 the royal collection became national property.

A Brief History of the Louvre

The museum officially opened in 1793 on the 10th August. This was to commemorate the first anniversary of the old monarchy's demise. The exhibits contained paintings and objects from the royal collection and the church. The Republic also added pieces such as Laocoön and His Sons and the Apollo Belvedere. These were seized by France's revolutionary armies.

When the French Second Republic was created in 1848, the government paid two million francs to repair the existing museum and to complete Galerie d'Apollon, the Salon Carré, and the Grande Galerie.

The museum was cleared entirely in WWII just before Hitler's armies invaded Paris until its liberation in 1945. The Musée du Louvre soon became home to the World's most important collections of Art and ancient artefacts with 380,000 objects and displays and attracts over 15000 visitors per day. It also became famous worldwide as the alleged final resting place of Mary Magdalene in the film The Da Vinci Code

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