Daughter of Uranus and Gaia, who represent respectively the sky and the earth, Themis is considered in Greek mythology to be the goddess of Justice. Wife and advisor to Zeus, she sits at his right hand and helps to maintain the established order. An allegory for immanent justice, Themis is generally depicted with her symbols – scales and a sword – and also at times with a blindfold as a sign of impartiality. The scales, which symbolise social order, balance and harmony, are a counterpoint to the sword, which represents the judicial sentence and judicial authority and which, owing to the double-edged blade that may punish each party, makes her decisions enforceable. Themis has thus become the universal image of Justice.
The choice of the name Themis echoes the decision of the first Members of the Court, who, drawing on their common cultural traditions, chose in 1952 to include the scales and sword of Themis in the logo of the Judicial Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community.
This building, the third and last of the first series of extensions to the Palais, was inaugurated in 1994. Unlike the two previous extensions, the latter was initially unnamed and would spend more than 25 years as the humble ‘Annexe C’ before being named ‘Themis’ in 2022.
With its cubic shape, this building completes the line of constructions built below the Palais and presents, on its southern façade, a semi-circular rotunda which houses the conference room behind the Main Courtroom of the General Court. Like the Erasmus and Thomas More buildings, the building’s façade is made of granite and glazed aluminium, adorned with a colonnade of pink granite.
In addition to the General Court’s Main Courtroom, this building is also home to the General Court’s Judges and their chambers.
