The Louvre

The Louvre is one of the world's most famous museums. The Louvre Palace which began as a fortress in the 12th century became a royal residence by the 14th century.  It was during the French Revolution that the Louvre was transformed into a public museum.
Anyone who has viewed the movie, "The DaVinci Code", can easily identify the building with the glass pyramid as Musee du Louvre.  The pyramid was designed by the famous architect, I.M. Pei.  The structure was completed in 1989 and serves as the main entrance to the museum.  (The pyramid and the underground lobby beneath it were created because the original main entrance could no longer handle the enormous number of visitors). The museum averages 15,000 visitors a day.

Interior

Interior

Over 35,000 works of art are displayed at the Louvre.  The painting collection has more than 7,500 works dating from the 13th century to 1848.  Of course the most famous painting in the collection is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
The Wedding Feast at Cana is the largest piece in the collection (262 in × 390 in).

Mona Lisa

 

Portion of Wedding Feast at Cana

Venus de Milo

Winged Victory of Samothrace