Site of the Tour de Nesle

Paris · France · Tower

From the top of the tower Marguerite de Bourgogne beckoned down the night's lovers. By dawn they floated past the Louvre, sewn into sacks.

On the left bank of the Seine, where the Institut de France now stands, rose the Tour de Nesle. In 1314 a genuine scandal shook the court: Marguerite de Bourgogne and her two sisters-in-law were accused of adultery, and their lovers were tortured to death. Out of that affair grew a far darker legend in the 15th century, spread early on by François Villon. The princess is said to have stood at the top of the tower and beckoned to young men passing below, spent the night with them, and at dawn had them sewn into sacks and thrown into the river. Boatmen told of bodies fished out just beneath the tower. The tower was demolished in 1665, but the image of the woman at the window and the sacks in the current has never left the quay.

FAQ

Where is Site of the Tour de Nesle located?

Site of the Tour de Nesle is in Paris, France.