Porte Saint-Martin
The Porte Saint-Martin is a Parisian monument located at the site of one of the gates of the now-destroyed fortifications of Paris. It is located at the intersection of the Rue Saint-Martin from the south, the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin from the north and the grands boulevards Boulevard Saint-Martin from the east and Boulevard Saint-Denis from the west.
History
The Porte Saint-Martin was designed by architect Pierre Bullet at the order of Louis XIV in honor of his victories on the Rhine and in Franche-Comté. Built in 1674, it replaced a medieval gate in the city walls built by Charles V. It was restored in 1988.Description
The Porte Saint-Martin is a heavily rusticated triumphal arch, 18 meters high, built in limestone and marble. Recesses are occupied by bas-reliefs:- North side right: La Prise du Limbourg en 1675 ' by Pierre [Le Gros the Elder], a sitting woman next to a lion
- North side left: La Défaite des Allemands ' by Gaspard Marsy, Louis XIV as Mars carrying the shield of France and pushing back a German eagle to protect a woman and an old man
- South side left: La Rupture de la Triple Alliance ' by Étienne le Hongre, Louis XIV as Hercules, partly nude
- South side right: La prise de Besançon ' by Martin van den Bogaert, Louis XIV dressed as Fame, standing in front of an olive tree and receiving keys from a woman