The quintessential medieval European palace: Palais de la Cité, in Paris, the royal palace of France. Viewed from the back, across the Seine River, with the Sainte Chapelle on the right side. Painted in the 1410s. From the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

This article refers to residences. For other uses of the word 'palace', see The Palace.

A palace is (or was) the home of a head of state or other high-ranking public figure. Many palaces have been transformed for other uses, such as parliaments or museums. The word is also sometimes used to describe a lavish public building which does not house a public figure; this use is intended to convey that the building is a "people's palace", where a sort of civic consciousness resides. Download high resolution version (816x554, 178 KB)Detail from the month of June, haymaking, in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry by the Limbourg Brothers. ... Download high resolution version (816x554, 178 KB)Detail from the month of June, haymaking, in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry by the Limbourg Brothers. ... , The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, is an international symbol of the city. ... La Sainte-Chapelle (French for The Holy Chapel) is a Gothic chapel on the Ile de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France. ... An illuminated page from the Très Riches Heures showing the day for exchanging gifts from the month of January The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (or simply the Très Riches Heures) is probably the most important illuminated manuscript of the 15th century, le roi des... The Palace is a software program used to access two-dimensional virtual communities, also called palaces. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State in many Commonwealth countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand, the Bahamas and many more, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... Insert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here:This article is about the legislative institution. ... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ...

The word "palace" comes from the name of one of the seven hills of Rome, the Palatine Hill. The original 'palaces' on the Palatine Hill were the seat of the imperial power, while the capitol on the Capitoline Hill was the seat of the senate and the religious nucleus of Rome. Long after the city grew to the seven hills the Palatine remained a desirable residential area. Augustus Caesar lived there in a purposely modest house only set apart from his neighbors by the two laurel trees planted to flank the front door as a sign of triumph granted by the Senate. His descendants, especially Nero, with his "Golden House" enlarged the house and grounds over and over until it took up the hill top. The word Palatium came to mean the residence of the emperor rather than the neighborhood on top of the hill. The Seven Hills of Rome east of the Tiber form the heart of Rome. ... 17th century aviaries on the hill, built by Rainaldi for Odoardo Cardinal Farnese: once wirework cages surmounted them. ... 17th century aviaries on the hill, built by Rainaldi for Odoardo Cardinal Farnese: once wirework cages surmounted them. ... Piazza del Campidoglio, on the top of Capitoline Hill, with the façade of Palazzo Senatorio. ... For the honorific title, see Augustus (honorific). ... The style of wall paintings in Domus Aurea inspired Raphaels Vatican Stanze and 18th-century Neoclassicism alike. ...

The Palais des Papes was the seat of the Papal Curia and the Pope at Avignon.

"Palace" meaning "government" can be recognized in a remark of Paul the Deacon, writing ca 790 and describing events of the 660s: "When Grimuald set out for Beneventum, he intrusted his palace to Lupus" (Historia gentis Langobardorum, V.xvii). At the same time Charlemagne was consciously reviving the Roman expression in his "palace" at Aachen, of which only his chapel remains. In the 9th century the "palace" indicated the housing of the government too, and the constantly-travelling Charlemagne built fourteen. In the early Middle Ages, the Palas remained the seat of government in some German cities. In the Holy Roman Empire the powerful independent electors came to be housed in palaces (Paläste) This has been used as evidence that power was widely distributed in the Empire, as in more centralized monarchies, only one supreme monarch would be allowed to call their home a palace. Avignon, France, the Palais des Papes (Papal Palace). ... Avignon, France, the Palais des Papes (Papal Palace). ... The Champeux Gate of the Palais des Papes The Palais des Papes in Avignon, France is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. ... Paul the Deacon (c. ... The Historia gentis Langobardorum (history of the Lombards) is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. ... Charlemagne (742 or 747 – 28 January 814) (also Charles the Great; from Latin, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, was the king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and king of the Lombards from 774 to 814. ... Aachen Cathedral Dom 2004 The Aachen Cathedral, frequently referred to as the Imperial Cathedral (in German: Kaiserdom) of Aachen, is the oldest cathedral in northern Europe. ... As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was that century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ... An elector can be: In the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation, the collegiate of seven Electors (eight since 1648) (Kurfürsten) consisted of those lay or clerical princes who had the right to vote in the election of the king or Holy Roman Emperor; see prince-elector. ...

In France there has been a clear distinction between a château and a palais. The palace has always been urban, like the Palais de la Cité in Paris (above), which was the royal palace of France and is now the supreme court of justice of France, or the palace of the Popes at Avignon (illustration, left). A château ( French for castle; plural châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of gentry, usually French, with or without fortifications. ... , The Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in Paris, is an international symbol of the city. ... The Pope (from Greek: pappas, father; from Latin: papa, Papa, father) is the head of the Catholic Church. ... View over the Rhône River to North-East with Mt Ventoux at the rear Palais des papes Square below the Palace of the Popes Paul Vs coat-of-arms on the Palais des papes The Notre Dame des Doms cathedral is located in the heart of Avignon, near...

The château, by contrast, has always been in rural settings, supported by its demesne, even when it was no longer actually fortified. Speakers of English think of the "Palace of Versailles" because it was the residence of the king of France, and the king was the source of power, though the building has always remained the Château de Versailles for the French, and the seat of government under the ancien regime remained the Palais du Louvre. The Louvre had begun as a fortified Château du Louvre on the edge of Paris, but as the seat of government and shorn of its fortified architecture and then completely surrounded by the city, it developed into the Palais du Louvre. The feudal concept of demesne is a form of manorial land tenure as conceived in Western Europe, initially in France but exported to England, during the Middle Ages. ... Versailles: Louis Le Vau opened up the interior court to create the expansive entrance cour dhonneur, later copied all over Europe Monument of Louis XIV in the cour dhonneur The Château de Versailles —or simply Versailles— is a royal château, outside the gates of which the... Ancien R gime means Old Regime or Old Order in French; in English, the term refers primarily to the social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, and secondarily to any regime which shares the formers defining features: a feudal system under the control... I.M. Peis Louvre Pyramid: the entrance to the galleries lies below the glass pyramid The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre, pronounced in French) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ...

A palatial quinta: the Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal (Luigi Mannini, architect 1904–1910)

In Italy, where localized regimes lasted to the 19th century, many a small former capital displays its Palazzo Ducale, the seat of government. In Florence and other strong communal governments, the seat of government was the Palazzo della Signoria until in Florence the Medici were made Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Then, when the power center shifted to their residence in Palazzo Pitti, the old center of power began to be called the Palazzo Vecchio. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 371 KB) Palacio da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 371 KB) Palacio da Regaleira, Sintra, Portugal. ... Defensive towers at San Gimignano, Tuscany, bear witness to the factional strife within communes. ... Palazzo della Signoria Palazzo della Signoria was the original name of the Palazzo Vecchio, before the government of the Republic of Florence was moved to the Uffizi under Cosimo I de Medici. ... Early, tinted 20th-century photograph of the Palazzo Pitti, then still known as La Residenza Reale following the residency of King Emmanuel II between 1865–71, when Florence was the capital of Italy. ...

But indeed, in some Italian cities, it is not uncommon to find many "palaces," including some comparatively humble mansions, each built by one of the principal noble families. Each family's palazzo was a hive that contained all the family members, though it might not always show a grand architectural public front. In the 20th century palazzo in Italian came to apply to any large fine apartment building.

Blenheim Palace main entrance

In England, by tacit agreement, there have been no "palaces" other than those used as official residences by royalty and certain bishops. Thus the Palace of Beaulieu gained its name precisely when Thomas Boleyn sold it to Henry VIII in 1517; previously it had been known as Walkfares. But like several other palaces, the name stuck even once the royal connection ended. Although the Palace of Blenheim (illustration, left) was never a royal residence, the name was part of the extraordinary honor when the house was given by a grateful nation to a great general. (Along with several royal and episcopal palaces in the countryside, Blenheim does demonstrate that "palace" has no specific urban connotations in English.) Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 904 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Palace John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough Blenheim Palace Wikipedia:List of images/Places/Europe/United Kingdom/Counties/Oxfordshire Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 904 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Palace John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough Blenheim Palace Wikipedia:List of images/Places/Europe/United Kingdom/Counties/Oxfordshire Categories: GFDL images ... Blenheim Palace, The Great Court. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... The Palace of Beaulieu was located in Essex, UK, north of Chelmsford. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Blenheim Palace, The Great Court. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ...

Episcopal Palace of Astorga

As on the continent, these royal and episcopal palaces were not merely residences; the clerks who administered the realm or the diocese labored there as well. (To this day many bishops' palaces house both their family apartments and their official offices.) However, unlike the "Palais du Justice" which is often encountered in the French-speaking world, modern British public administration buildings are never called "palaces"; although the formal name for the "Houses of Parliament" is the Palace of Westminster, this reflects Westminster's former role as a royal residence and center of administration. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 768 KB) The Astorgas Episcopal Palace in Spain was built by Antonio Gaudi. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2288x1712, 768 KB) The Astorgas Episcopal Palace in Spain was built by Antonio Gaudi. ... Episcopal Palace of Astorga Astorga is a town in Spain, in the province of León. ... Insert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here:This article is about the legislative institution. ... The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. ...

In more recent years, the word has been used in a more informal sense for other large, impressive buildings, such as The Crystal Palace of 1851 (an immensely large, glazed hall erected for the Great Exhibition) and modern arenas-cum-convention centres like Alexandra Palace (which is no more a palace than Madison Square Garden is a garden). The facade of the original Crystal Palace side view of the Crystal Palace A huge iron and glass building, The Crystal Palace was one of the wonders of 19th Century Britain, if not the world. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Great Exhibition: Paxtons Crystal Palace enclosed full-grown trees in Hyde Park. ... Alexandra Palace from the east Alexandra Palace was built on a hill in Muswell Hill in North London in 1873 as a public entertainment centre. ... Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...

An Emir's palace in Marbella, Spain

For the household staff of palaces, see great house.

Image File history File links Marbella1. ... Image File history File links Marbella1. ... Entrance to the emirs palace in Bukhara. ... Marbella is a city in Andalusia, Spain, by the Mediterranean, situated in the region of Málaga, beneath the Sierra Blanca. ... The household is the basic unit of analysis in many microeconomic and government models. ... A great house is a large and stately residence; the term encompasses different styles of dwelling in different countries. ...

See also

• List of palaces