Porte Saint-Denis
Porte Saint-Denis rises in Paris’s 10th arrondissement as a triumphal arch inspired by Rome’s Arch of Titus. Its stone façade reaches 24.65 metres high, spans 25 metres, and frames a central arch eight metres wide. Obelisks flank the passage, carrying sculptural groups of weapon trophies.
The monument replaced a gateway in the Wall of Charles V, built between 1356 and 1383 to protect Paris’s Right Bank. François Blondel and Michel Anguier began construction in 1672 for Louis XIV’s military victories. Those victories included the capture of Franche-Comté in 1668 and campaigns during the Franco-Dutch War.
Michel Anguier’s southern sculpture shows The Passage of the Rhine above the main arch. The northern face presents allegorical figures of the Rhine and the Netherlands, beneath the gilded inscription “LUDOVICO MAGNO”.
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myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.