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| 2516 Louvre Museum in Paris |
The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (ward). The Louvre Palace, which houses the museum, was begun as a fortress by Philip II in the 12th century, with remnants of this building still visible in the crypt. It was altered frequently throughout the Middle Ages. In the 14th century, Charles V converted the building into a residence and in 1546, Francis I renovated the site in French Renaissance style.
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| 2517 Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa |
Francis acquired what would become the nucleus of the Louvre's holdings, his acquisitions including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, in modern epoca acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world." After Louis XIV chose Versailles as his residence in 1682, constructions slowed; however, the move permitted the Louvre to be used as a residence for artists.
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