A Few of My Favorite Dungeons

When I wrote my first book, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, I blithely invented an extra-special torture chamber for my half-mad villain and his collection of the Inquisition’s Greatest Hits. I needn’t have bothered. If there was one thing revolutionary Paris didn’t lack, it was dungeons. In my current work in progress, my hero is employed directly by the Prefecture of Paris, and indirectly by Napoleon’s spymaster, Fouche, so I’ve been making up for lost time by taking full advantage of the dungeons of Paris.

In case you should care to visit the dungeons of revolutionary Paris, here’s my impromptu Lonely Planet guide on the subject:

The Temple Prison:

Definitely a must-stay for the discriminating aristo or would-be English spy. Located on the right bank of the Seine, in le Marais, the old aristocratic quarter of Paris. Former fortress of the Knights Templar, dating back to the 12th century. A very chi-chi place to be incarcerated: the royal family (Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, the Dauphin, Princess Marie-Therese, and the King’s sister, Madame Elisabeth) were kept here while awaiting the fatal fall of the guillotine. It was at the Temple Prison that the Dauphin was last seen alive. Other notable inhabitants of the Temple Prison include Sir Sidney Smith, thought to be one of the prototypes of that demmed, elusive Pimpernel (although Sir Sidney was clearly not quite elusive enough, since he spent two years in the Temple prior to his belated daring escape).

Prison des Carmes:

The Temple might have been the prison for the old royalty, but les Carmes was the place for the new. Watch out—if you stay here, you may run across some of the key figures of the new political order to come. Rose de Beauharnais (later renamed Josephine by her enraptured second husband, a little man by the name of Bonaparte) was imprisoned here during the height of the Terror. Look closely and you may see her small pug dog Fortune running back and forth, carrying hidden messages to her two children, Eugene and Hortense. With her, you’ll find Therese Cabarrus (shortly to be Therese Tallien), who enjoyed a brief fame as Our Lady of Thermidor, hailed as the prime mover behind the fall of Robespierre and the end of the Terror, as well as being best of friends with the future Madame Bonaparte—until an increasingly stuffy Napoleon decided she was too flashy and he didn’t want her hanging around his court.

The Abbaye Prison:

A nice compromise for the discriminating prisoner who wants someplace with a known name, but less flashy than the Temple. Conveniently located in the fashionable district of St. Germain, on the left bank of the Seine, the Abbaye was made notorious in the September Massacres of 1792, when a bloodthirsty mob attacked the prisoners, killing over a hundred with a barbarity that shocked contemporary chroniclers. Notable prisoners included Mme Roland, as well as Sir Sidney Smith (yes, he got around). During the Consulate and Empire, the Abbaye was used for the interrogation of prisoners, with methods that included burning the soles of the prisoners’ feet and crushing their fingers in musket locks.

Also Available for Bread, Water, and a Little Light Torture: La Force (where indignities were perpetrated upon the Princess de Lamballe); Prison de la Bourbe, aka Prison de Port-Libre (the royal governess and Louis XVI’s lawyer were kept here); the Madelonnettes Prison (the Marquis de Sade stayed here); Saint Pelagie prison (more Marquis de Sade, as well as Mme Roland, although one hopes not at the same time); Le Coignard (um, yeah, the Marquis stayed here, too); Saint Lazarre (originally a leper hospital, but no Marquis de Sade); and many, many more….