Pyramide

Pyramide stands on a raised platform at the Carrefour de la Pyramide, in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris’s twelfth arrondissement. Several roads radiate from it, including the Route de la Pyramide and Route de la Faluère. The pyramid-shaped obelisk carries rocaille-style cartouches on every face, with France’s arms on two and a Latin inscription on the others. Its base resembles a fountain, where sculpted mascarons appear to pour water down the stone sides. A globe, gilded bronze needle, and cross crown the structure, marking the cardinal points and aiding navigation.

Louis XV ordered the obelisk in 1731 to commemorate the reforestation of the Bois de Vincennes. Alexandre Claude Lefebvre de la Faluère, Grand Master of Waters and Forests, directed that work. In 1799, restoration gave the globe a black surface bearing the word “Vengeance!” after French plenipotentiaries were assassinated. Later restorations followed in 1858 and 1982, while France classified the structure as a historical monument in 1946. Local legend places it above the oak where Saint Louis dispensed justice during the thirteenth century.