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Rh France as a palace chapel and also as a shrine for sacred relics, viz., a portion of the so-called true cross and of the crown of thorns purchased according to tradition from the king of Jerusalem for 300,000 franks. Irrespective of its supposed sanctity this church is on account of its beauty justly regarded as one of the most valuable treasures of France, and during the war of 1870, the church was carefully packed in wood with a layer of earth between the wood and the structure. The Palais de Justice all round the church was burnt down, but the church was thus saved from destruction, and when disentombed was found quite uninjured!

We will now cross over to the north bank, where as I have already stated Louis the Big built the first palace as late as the 12th century of the Christian era. The Great Philip Augustus built a fortress on this very spot in 1204 A.D. Over three hundred years later, the munificent Francis I. commenced here the renowned palace of the Louvre which was added to by successive kings and which has been the centre of European politics for over three hundred years. The magnificent pile of buildings commenced by Francis I., in 1541 was finally completed by Napoleon III. within the memory of living men. The entire area covered by this palace is nearly fifty acres,—and the palace on the whole is among the most sumptuous buildings in existence.

France is a republic since 1871, and kings and