The Bastille was demolished in May and June, 1790, in pursuance of a decree of the National Assembly; part of the materials were employed in the construction of the Pont Louis XVI. Its site formed the Place de la Bastille, and the moat was converted into a basin for vessels passing through the canal.
The space of garden reserved for their daily exercise was enclosed between lofty walls. Louis occupied the first floor of the prison, and his family the second. Every casement was protected by thick iron bars, and the outer windows were masked in such a man ner that the prisoners obtained scarcely a glimpse of the world beyond their cage. Six wickets defended the staircase which Pr1son du Temple. led to the king's apartment, so low and The jurisdiction of the military monks, narrow that it was necessary to squeeze called Knights Hospitallers of St. John of through them in a stooping posture. Each Jerusalem, extended over a great part of the door was of iron, heavily barred, and was quarter called le Marais and into the rue du kept locked at all hours. After Louis's im faubourg du Temple. They had a bailiff prisonment a seventh wicket with a door of and other officers, and a prison. It was in iron was constructed at the top of the this prison that convicts condemned to the stairs, which no one could open unassisted. galleys were formerly chained together. The first door of Louis's chamber was also In the day of their military and political of iron, so here were eight solid barriers be power, the Templars of France acknowl twixt the king and his friends in freedom, edged none but the authority of the grand not counting the dungeon walls. There master of the order, and treated with royalty was also a guard of some three hundred men as between power and power. Philippe le around the Temple. Marie Antoinette was Bel, in 1307, however, broke the power of removed, after Louis's death, to the Conthe Knights Templars of France. Their ciergerie. Their daughter quitted the Tem order was abolished, and most of their ple to go into exile, while their son died wealth was bestowed by Philippe upon the wretchedly in the prison. Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The Convention seems to' have given no The prison of the Temple became a prison political prisoners to the tower of the Tem of the state, and the Temple and the Louvre ple, which was again a prison of state under were the forerunners of the Bastille. There the Directory, the Consulate, and the Em were various princely prisoners confined pire. here in the reigns of Philippe V, Philippe In June, 1808, the prisoners of the Tem de Valois, and King John. Four sover ple were transferred by Fouche's order to eigns — Charles VII, Louis XI, Charles the Dungeon of Vincennes. VIII, and Louis XII — seem to have for The tower of the Temple was demolished gotten the dungeon which the Templars had in 1811, and, four years later, Louis XVIII bequeathed to them, and the cells and instituted on the ruins a congregation of chambers in the great tower of the Temple nuns, who had for their superior a daughter remained closed, not to be opened until after of Prince de Conde. the 10th of August, 1792. To the Temple Louis XVI and his family were hurried on Pr1son de l'Abhaye-Sa1nt-Germa1n. the 14th of August of this year. The monks of the ancient abbey of SaintThe tower of the fortress was allotted to them, and a portion of the palace and all Germain-des-Pres had their jurisdiction, the adjacent buildings were levelled, so that their officers, and their prison; the latter, the dungeon proper was completely isolated. which now serves for a military prison, is
