Description of the attraction
Gate Saint-Martin is, in fact, another Parisian triumphal arch, erected in 1674 in memory of the military victories of Louis XIV. They are located on Boulevard Saint-Denis not far (140 meters) from the Saint-Denis gate. This close proximity of two very similar structures looks rather strange.
History explains the topography. In 1358, Charles V, and later Louis XIII, striving to expand Paris, moved further from the center of its medieval fortress wall. At that time, people entered Paris only through special gates with drawbridges. Two gates were located just on the future boulevard Saint-Denis: it was here that the city wall passed then. Already under Louis XIV, the wall was demolished, and the gates, similar to small castles, survived. During the Dutch War, the king ordered them to be converted into triumphal passages modeled on the Roman ones.
This problem was solved by the architect Pierre Bülle for the gates of Saint-Martin. He designed the gate in a rude, masculine rustic style. The structure is strictly square (17 meters high and 17 meters wide). The bas-reliefs are the work of Martin Desjardins, Etienne Leongras and Pierre Legros.
The erection of the gate was dedicated to the victories of the king in Belgium. In the upper part of the south-facing facade is embossed in gold: "Louis the Great for taking Besançon and Franche-Comte twice and defeating the German, Spanish and Dutch armies - from the merchant provost and eshevens of Paris." On a bas-relief dedicated to the capture of Besançon, a seated Louis accepts the keys to the city, Glory soars above him. The bas-relief, dedicated to the victory over the anti-French alliance, represents the king in the form of Hercules - half-naked (beautiful physique), with a club, but in a magnificent wig.
The gates of Saint-Martin and Saint-Denis became the prototypes of Napoleon's grandiose triumphal arches. However, not only French troops passed under these majestic structures in the days of victories. At noon on March 31, 1814, the Russian army under the leadership of Emperor Alexander I entered Paris precisely through the gates of Saint-Martin.
