La Bastille

La Bastille
   A former French prison fortress in paris, the Bastille, at the time of the revolution of 1789, was regarded as a symbol of royal tyranny. Built around 1370, it was originally part of the fortifications of the east wall of the city. Beginning with Cardinal Richelieu and throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bastille was used primarily for housing political prisoners. Citizens of any class and profession, who for whatever reason were deemed a liability to the royal establishment, were arrested by "lettres de cachet" — secret warrants that would imprison them indefinitely in the Bastille without accusation or trial. Among the more illustrious of the fortress's prisoners were Voltaire and the marquis de Sade. At the beginning of the Revolution (July 14, 1789), the Bastille was attacked and captured by a mob assisted by royal troops. Two days later, the demolition of the fortress was begun amid great public rejoicing. The event marked the transition of the Revolution from the parliamentary to the popular stage. The site is now an open square, known as the place de la Bastille. in its center is the large bronze July Column surmounted by a figure of the spirit of Liberty, erected in 1833. Bastille Day is celebrated annually as the national holiday of France on July 14.

France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present . 1884.

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  • bastille — [ bastij ] n. f. • 1370; altér. de bastide ♦ Au Moyen Âge, Ouvrage de fortification, château fort. Spécialt La Bastille : le château fort commencé à Paris sous Charles V et qui servit de prison d État (⇒ embastiller) avant d être pris par les… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • bastillé — bastille [ bastij ] n. f. • 1370; altér. de bastide ♦ Au Moyen Âge, Ouvrage de fortification, château fort. Spécialt La Bastille : le château fort commencé à Paris sous Charles V et qui servit de prison d État (⇒ embastiller) avant d être pris… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Bastille Day — is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year . In France, it is called Fête Nationale ( National Celebration ) in official parlance, or more commonly quatorze juillet ( 14 July ). It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération …   Wikipedia

  • Bastille (Métro De Paris) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bastille. Bastille …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bastille (metro de Paris) — Bastille (métro de Paris) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bastille. Bastille …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bastille (métro de paris) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bastille. Bastille …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bastille (métro parisien) — Bastille (métro de Paris) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Bastille. Bastille …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bastille Unix — is an interactive hardening script for selected Linux distributions and other operating systems. It is free software licensed under the GPL.Bastille Linux renamed to Bastille UnixAs of September 11th, 2007, Bastille Linux has been renamed to… …   Wikipedia

  • Bastille Pavillon Paris (Paris) — Bastille Pavillon Paris country: France, city: Paris (Bercy Gare de Lyon) Bastille Pavillon Paris Location This town house boutique hotel, Bastille Pavillon Paris is placed across from the Opera Bastille, located a few steps from the Marais area… …   International hotels

  • Bastille (Begriffsklärung) — Bastille steht für: die Stadttorburg und Gefängnis im Osten von Paris, siehe Bastille eine Metrostation in Paris, siehe Bastille (Métro Paris) Siehe auch: Opéra Bastille Place de la Bastille …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bastille-Oper —   [bas tiːj(ə) ], französisch Opéra de la Bastille [ɔpe ra dəla ], seit 1994 Opéra Nationale de Paris [ nasjɔ nal də pa ri ], am 13. Juli 1989 von F. Mitterand in Paris eingeweihtes Opernhaus an der Place de la Bastille; gilt mit seinem… …   Universal-Lexikon

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