Place de la Nation
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2017) |
 The Triumph of the Republic byAimé-Jules Dalou | |
  Shown within Paris | |
| Length | 252 m (827 ft) |
|---|---|
| Width | 252 m (827 ft) (circular with diameter = 252 m) |
| Arrondissement | 11th,12th |
| Quarter | Sainte-Marguerite. Picpus |
| Coordinates | 48°50′54″N2°23′45″E/ 48.84833°N 2.39583°E |
| From | Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine |
| To | Avenue du Trône |
| Construction | |
| Completion | Already present on the Delagrive plan in 1728 |
| Denomination | 2 July 1880 |
ThePlace de la Nation(formerly thePlace du Trône,subsequently thePlace du Trône-Renverséduring theFrench Revolution) is a circle on the eastern side ofParis,between thePlace de la Bastilleand theBois de Vincennes,on the border of the11thand12th arrondissements.Widely known for having the most active guillotines during the Revolution, the square acquired its current name onBastille Day,14 July 1880, under theThird Republic.
The square includes a large bronze sculpture byAimé-Jules Dalou,theTriumph of the Republic,depicting the personification of France,Marianne,and is encircled by shops and aflower garden.It is served by theParis MetrostationNation.
History[edit]
ThePlace du Trôneand Louis XIV's aborted triumphal arch[edit]
The space that is now the Place de la Nation first emerged on 26 August 1660, on the occasion of the ceremonial entrance ofLouis XIVand his new wifeMaria Theresa,following their wedding inSaint-Jean-de-Luzon 9 June 1660. A throne was erected on that spot, which was subsequently known as the Place du Trône ( "Throne Square" ), a name that survives to the present with theAvenue du TrôneandFoire du Trône.
In the late 1660s,Jean-Baptiste Colbertpromoted comprehensive reforms and remodeling of Paris, which included the establishment of theLieutenant général de policein 1667; on the right bank, the demilitarization of the former city walls and their replacement with a ring ofGrands Boulevardsin 1670;[1]: 126 on the left bank, the destruction of all gates of the ancientWall of Philip II Augustus,started in 1673 and completed in 1683;[1]: 134 the unification of professional regulations in the city and its outskirts (French:faubourgs) in 1673;[1]: 134 the termination of lingering feudal authority over criminal justice in a number of mostly ecclesiastical enclaves that was transferred to the king'sGrand Châteletin 1674;[1]: 134 and the erection or refurbishment of monumental gates on key intersections, namely thePorte Saint-Antoinein 1671, thePorte Saint-Bernard,thePorte Saint-Denisin 1672-1673, and thePorte Saint-Martinin 1674. The project of a massive, four-pillaredtriumphal archon the Place du Trône would mark the culmination of this program. A design byClaude Perraultwas selected, and the arch's foundations and lower structures were erected in high-quality stone in the 1670s, but the project was abandoned around 1680, possibly for lack of funds. the unfinished structures were demolished in 1716, just after the death of Louis XIV.[1]: 138–139
The triumphal arch project holds a special place in France's cultural history, as it was the starting point of a public controversy known as the Quarrel of Inscriptions (French:querelle des inscriptions), itself a significant episode of the broaderQuarrel of the Ancients and the Modernsthat reached its climax a decade later with the production byCharles Perrault,Claude's brother, of his essay on the era of Louis XIV (French:Le Siècle de Louis le Grand). The initial question was whether the inscriptions glorifying Louis on the projected arch should be in ( "ancient" ) Latin or ( "modern" ) French. AntiquarianFrançois Charpentierargued in favor of French inscriptions, and was countered by Jesuit Jean Lucas of theCollege de Clermont,[2]who defended the option of Latin in an eloquent address pronounced at the College on 25 November 1676 that was published in 1677 under the titleDe Monumentis Publicis Latine Inscribendis Oratio.[3]
Mur des Fermiers Généraux[edit]
TheMur des Fermiers générauxwas an enclosure built between 1784 and 1791, one of the several city walls built between the early Middle Ages and the mid 19th century well beyond the buildings of Paris in a campaign to encircle houses, gardens and monasteries for the purpose of controlling the flow of goods and to enable their taxation by theFerme générale.
The wall's construction left a vast grassy space of vines and market gardens as far as the medieval city wall and the walls of the gardens of the old village ofPicpus,which contained large convents, schools and retreats. Originally, the square accommodated two pavilions and two columns of thebarrière du Trônedesigned byClaude Nicolas Ledouxand built for the barrier ofoctroi(for tax collection) which surrounded the entrance to thecours de Vincennes.The columns were surmounted by statues of KingsPhilip IIandLouis IX.
French Revolution[edit]
During the Revolution, the square was renamed the Place du Trône-Renversé ( "Toppled Throne Square" ), on 10 August 1792. A guillotine was set up in the southern half of the square, near the Pavilion of Law built by Ledoux. Those guillotined there were buried in the nearbyPicpus Cemeteryand include:
- André Chénier,25 July 1794.
- Cécile Renault,Henri AdmiratandJean-Baptiste Michonis,17 June 1794.
- Josse-François-Joseph Benaut,composer, 13 July 1794.
- TheMartyrs of Compiègne,Carmelitenuns,17 July 1794
19th century[edit]
The central monument,The Triumph of the Republic,is a bronze sculpture created byAimé-Jules Dalou.It was erected to mark the centenary of the Revolution, at first in plaster in 1889 and then in bronze in 1899. The figure ofMarianne,personifying the Republic, stands on a globe in a chariot pulled by lions and surrounded by various symbolic figures, and looks towards thePlace de la Bastille.When the monument was erected, it was surrounded by a large pond. Additional sculptures of alligators, symbols for the threats to democracy, were removed during theNazi occupation of Parisand melted down.[4]
20th century[edit]
On 22 June 1963, the magazineSalut les copainsorganised a concert at the Place de la Nation, featuring singers such asJohnny Hallyday,Richard Anthony,Eddy MitchellandFrank Alamo.It attracted over 150,000 young people. The headline of the following day's issue of the journalParis-Presseread, "Salut les voyous!". The photographerJean-Marie Périer,who was a friend of many of the performers, photographed the concert. The Place de la Nation was the location of theFoire du Trônebefore thePelouse de Reuilly.
Notes[edit]
- ^abcdeJean Nagle (1989). "La ville de l'absolutisme triomphant: De François Ier à Louis XV". In Louis Bergeron (ed.).Paris: Genèse d'un Paysage.Paris: Picard. pp. 93–145.
- ^"Jean Lucas (jésuite, 1638-1716)".Bibliothèque nationale de France.
- ^Tim Denecker (2012),"Taaltheorie ter verdediging van het Latijn: Joannes Lucas S.J., De monumentis publicis Latine inscribendis oratio (1677)",Handelingen - Koninklijke Zuid-Nederlandse maatschappij voor taal- en letterkunde en geschiedenis,66,Mechelen: 195–209
- ^"Where the Statues of Paris were sent to Die".Messy Nessy's Cabinet of Chic Curiosities.7 January 2016.
External links[edit]
- (in French)Recherche des rues de Paris