The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and home to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” has requested urgent help from the French government to restore and renovate its ageing exhibition halls and better protect its countless works of art.

In a memo to the French culture minister leaked this week, Laurence des Cars warned of the "proliferation of damage" in galleries.

Built in Paris in the late 12th century, the Louvre Palace for centuries was the official residence of the kings of France, until Louis XIV - weary of rebellious crowds in Paris - abandoned it for Versailles, after which it became a museum for the royal art collection in 1793.