3 things you never knew about the Louvre
Like climbing the Eiffel Tower, strolling through the Arc De Triomphe and munching on a crepe, a trip to Paris wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Louvre. But while eight million people might’ve wandered the Louvre’s halls year, the world’s largest museum still has some secrets. Here are three things you never knew about the Louvre:
1. It was once home to an odd royal ritual
Before the Louvre was converted into a museum it was a royal residence, home to a range of French monarchs including King Henry IV, who famously used the halls to enact a ritual known as the Royal Touch. French royals were considered to have God-given power to rule, and Henry IV considered himself able to heal illnesses with a single touch.
Henry IV would famously anoint the sick with holy water while saying “Le roy te touché, dieu te guerit” (“The king touches you, God is healing you”).
2. It pioneered the concept of public art
When Louis XIV assumed the throne in the late 17th century, artists could move in to the famous building to exchange ideas, copy paintings and worked on their own projects. As a result, the building became the nucleus of the art world. After the French Revolution, the building was officially converted from a palace to a public museum, which was quite a novel concept at the time.
3. The glass pyramid was designed to fit in with the building
It might not look like it’s the case to glance at the famous glass pyramid, but the design was intended to fit in perfectly with the rest of the Louvre. When the new design was unveiled by artist Pei in the 80s, Parisians were scandalised by its bold nature. But perhaps they would’ve been a little less so if they realised the laborious strains Pei went to meld the structure into the rest of the building. Michael Flynn, an architect from Pei’s team, told Architect Magazine that Pei went to great lengths to find the right “super-clear” glass so as you peered through it, it would not “alter your perception of the colour of the existing buildings.”
Were you aware of these facts? Have you ever visited the Louvre?