Secure Paris attacks courtroom nestled within storied site

The November 2015 Paris attacks trial is taking place in the Palais de Justice, a national monument whose walls date back to the 13th century and King Louis IX

PARIS -- The November 2015 Paris attacks trial is taking place in the Palais de Justice, a national monument whose walls date back to the 13th century and King Louis IX. In the heart of Paris, on the same island that holds Notre Dame Cathedral and the city's police headquarters, it has been a center of power for France for generations and was built on ancient Roman ruins. It also is home to Louis' famed Gothic Sainte-Chapelle. The palace was expanded through the ages by French kings, many of whom lived in the same wing that now houses the secure complex of rooms specially constructed for the nine-month terror trial. The wing has a statue of Louis IX, known as Saint Louis, standing beneath an oak tree administering justice. According to historians Hélène Bellanger and Marc Renneville, at the end of the 13th century, King Philippe the Fair remodeled the palace to also host courts.