Walking along Boulevard Saint Martin, and this large stone arch appears.
The original gate was constructed
between 1356 and 1383. It was the first gate in the wall protecting the right bank of medieval Paris. In the 1670s, the remaining walls of Charles V were removed when Paris outgrew its territory. Louis XIV had architect François Blondel and sculptor Michel Anguier build a monumental archway that would honor the 1668 victories during the Franco-Dutch War. In the 19th century the gate was reconstructed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. That monument you see today was restored in 1988.
The Porte Saint-Denis was the first of four triumphant arches to be built in Paris. The others are the Porte Saint-Martin 1674, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel 1806, and the Arc de Triomphe 1836.
When you're from the US, it's pretty incredible to see huge stone monuments in random places in modern cities. You forget hold old Europe really is. read more