Bastille

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Bastille a fortress in Paris built in the 14th century and used in the 17th–18th centuries as a state prison. Its storming by the mob on 14 July 1789 marked the start of the French Revolution; the anniversary of this event (Bastille Day) is kept as a national holiday in France.

The name comes (via Old French) from Provençal bastida, from bastir ‘build’.


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