Porte d'Aix (also known as the Porte Royale) is a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, in the south of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, marking the old entry point to the city on the road from

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...

. The classical design by Michel-Robert Penchaud was inspired by the triumphal arches of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. The Porte d’Aix was initially conceived in 1784 to honour

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

and to commemorate the

Peace of Paris (1783) The Peace of Paris of 1783 was the set of treaties that ended the American Revolutionary War. On 3 September 1783, representatives of King George III of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain signed a treaty in Paris with representatives of the ...

that ended the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Following the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1814–15, the project was resumed in 1823, now to commemorate French victories in the Spanish Expedition, notably at the Battle of Trocadero, August 31, 1823. It was eventually completed in 1839, with a more general theme of victory.

History

In 1660

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

descended on Marseille to bring order to a city in political turmoil. His troops blasted a hole in the old thirteenth century ramparts that ran the length of the rue d'Aix between the city gates of "Porte Royale" and "Porte d'Aix". Part of the subsequent reorganisation of Marseille involved not only an increased military presence, demolition of the old ramparts, new royal shipyards (''Arsenal des Galères'') and seaward fortifications, but also a new governing body drawn from the merchant class, charged with making plans to expand and beautify the city. From an early stage these plans included the reconstruction of the Porte Royale and the removal of the unsightly overground aqueduct (''aqueduc de l' Huveaune'') in the place d'Aix at the end of the rue d'Aix: the original porte d'Aix was formed by the arches of this aqueduct. Numerous projects for city plans were proposed, including one by Pierre Puget, placing a ceremonial Porte Royale in the place d'Aix. Eventually in 1784 the city of Marseille decided to use the profits generated by the sale of the royal shipyards to erect a royal triumphal arch in the place d'Aix "to the glory of

and to commemorate the peace gloriously achieved, putting an end to the war of independence in America". Already delayed by local officialdom, the project was abandoned during the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule. Following the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, the project was resumed in 1823 by the mayor of Marseille, the Marquis de Montgrand, under royal charter from

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

; this time it was intended to commemorate the victory of Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, son of the future king

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

, at the Battle of Trocadero that resulted in the restoration of

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

as king of Spain. The first stone was laid in 1825 by the Marquis de Montgrand with a dedication to the royal family. The aqueduct was demolished three years later to clear the place d'Aix. The project, however, was to suffer yet again from changes in regime in France. Although the main construction work started under

, it was only completed under

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

in 1839; and, with the intervening political changes in France, the monument could no longer just celebrate the campaign of the Duke of Angoulême, but instead the more general theme of French victories.

Architecture

Michel-Robert Penchaud, the architect of the monument, probably took as his model the

Arch of Titus The Arch of Titus (; ) is a 1st-century AD honorific arch, located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in 81 AD by Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to comm ...

on the

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The road ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, although elements are present from other Roman triumphal arches such as the Arches of Trajan and the

Arch of Constantine The Arch of Constantine () is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312 ...

. Responsibility for the stonework was put in the hands of the Italian mason Gaétan Cantini, father of the sculptor Jules Cantini. The ornamental sculpture was entrusted to the Parisian sculptor Antoine-André Marneuf who took his inspiration from the Roman triumphal arch at Orange; the statuary and bas-reliefs were commissioned from David d'Angers and Etienne-Jules Ramey. The main facades depict the battles of Fleurus, Héliopolis, Marengo and Austerlitz. The two

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

s under the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

depict ''the call to the defense of liberty'' (David d'Angers) and ''the return of the victorious heroes'' (Ramey). Eight giant allegorical statues, almost 3m high, were placed in the ''attic'' representing the

Virtue A virtue () is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be morality, moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is Value (ethics), valued as an Telos, end purpos ...

s. On the north facade David d'Angers completed ''Devotion'', ''Prudence'', ''Resignation'' and ''Fortitude'' in 1835; Ramey only finished ''Vigilance'', ''Clemency'', ''Energy'' and ''Temperance'' on the south facade in 1839. Unfortunately, because the stone was not properly weather-proof, the statues started to erode. In 1921 they were repaired using reinforced concrete; nevertheless in 1937 six of the heads rolled off onto the street below. In later restoration of the arch in 2003, only four of the statues were kept, those of David d'Angers, on the north facade. Probably because of its location, the triumphal arch is a monument that is often undeservedly overlooked. Composed of a single arch and an ''attic'' supported by four

corinthian column The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...

s, its harmony is inspired by the monuments of antiquity. Its height and width are identical, just under 18m, fitting it precisely with a square, one of the "perfect" geometric forms. It is easy to reach from two metro stations ''Jules Guesde'' and ''Colbert'' and is in walking distance from the main railway station, Gare de Marseille Saint Charles. Porte d'Aix history (in French)

Gallery of photos

File:Porte d'Aix 01.jpg File:Porte d'Aix 03.jpg File:Porte d'Aix 02.jpg

References

Bibliography

* ''De la porte royale à la porte d'Aix : Projets successifs de l'Arc de Triomphe à la Porte d'Aix, à Marseille (du XVIe au XIXe siècle)''
Musée d'Histoire de Marseille
1989, 55 pages,

External links

French history in French
{{Marseille Buildings and structures in Marseille Terminating vistas in France Triumphal arches in France Tourist attractions in Marseille 1839 establishments in France Buildings and structures completed in 1839 19th-century architecture in France