The
Bastille was a
fortress in Paris, known formally as the
Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the
kings of France. It was
stormed by a crowd on 14 July 1789 in the
French Revolution, becoming an important symbol for the French Republican movement, and was later demolished and replaced by the
Place de la Bastille.