Even though it has lost its governmental importance over the years, it still remains a center of religious and judiciary power and is, for many tourists as well as residents, quintessential Paris. The town was renamed Lutèce after the Roman conquest of 52 BC. Clovis the Frank, first Roman Catholic King of France, made it his capital in the 6th century and built a royal palace where the palace of Justice (Palais de la Justice) now stands. Saint Louis had the Sainte Chapelle built in record time during the 13th century to house Christ’s crown of thorns brought back from Constantinople, and this masterpiece of Gothic architecture now nestles within the Palace of Justice.

The Conciergerie, located on the northern shore is a remnant of the medieval palace. Used as a prison during the 15th century, the Conciergerie is above all associated with the “Terreur” period of the French Revolution when the revolutionary tribunals sent thousands of victims to their graves. Queen Marie Antoinette, Robespierre, Danton, Charlotte Corday, and even Andre Chénier were among those thrown into the cells of the Conciergerie before being sent to the Guillotine.

On the Place Louis-Lépine, between Notre Dame and Palace of Justice, is the bird and flower market, a burst of merry noise and color in sharp contrast to the austerity of the surrounding public buildings. The Pont-Neuf (the oldest bridge in Paris but called “neuf” (new) because it was the first built of stone) was built by Henri IV over the Western point of the island, along with a very pretty triangular park, modeled on the Place des Vosges, called the Place Dauphine; so named in honor of the Dauphin – the future King Louis XIII. Still farther West is the Place du Vert Galant, a calm green space with a superb view of the quais. The Square Jean XXIII, on the east side of the island, was created in the 19th century as the first public garden of Paris. Finally, on the eastern-most tip, just across from the Ile Saint Louis, is the Square Ile de France and the monument to the martyrs deported during the Second World War.