Arch de Triumph

The Triumphal Arch

The Arc de Triomphe, Arch de Triumph, or Triumphal Arch, however one refers to it, honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary War (Storm the Bastille) and the Napoleonic War. It has the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. 

It was commissioned in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz by Napoleon at the peak of his fortunes. Laying the foundations alone took two years and, in 1810, when Napoleon entered Paris from the west with his bride Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, he had a wooden mock-up of the completed arch constructed

We got to see inside the Arch.

And then we went on top to view the city from the center of the
Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western end of the Champs-Elysees

Sacra Couer is over the left shoulder of this person taking pictures.  We will be going there soon!

Roger, pausing from his picture taking to figure out where I am on this Arch!

I'm sorry about so many shots of the Eiffel Tower, but I just couldn't choose!

We finally went back down to earth.  These images are on the front of the arch 

facing Concorde Square.  there are six reliefs on the Arch depicting important 

moments of the French Revolution.

Le Triomphe de 1810

Picturing Napoleon being decorated for his triumph.

Le Départ de 1792, The Marseillais volunteers departing

The Marseillaise was a revolutionary song, an anthem to freedom, a patriotic call to mobilize all the citizens and an exhortation to fight against tyranny and foreign invasion.

These images are above the images above!

Le Funerailles du Marceau, 20 September 1796

Marceau was a general in the Revolutionary Wars

La Bataille d'Aboukir, 25 July 1799

Aboukir was a battle in which Napoleon defeated the Ottoman army on 25 July 1799.   Obviously this was an important battle, in that it became inscribed on this notorious site.

Beneath the arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

We got to see the raising of the flag.  I do not remember seeing any images with the French Flag waving under the arch.  It was a momentous occasion that we watched occur.

We also visited the site where the Bastille once was located.  The memorial to this turning point in French history now is a column, called Colonne de Juilliet.  The memorial square straddles three districts they call arrondissements. 

This memorial stands where the Bastille prison once stood until the "Storming of the Bastille, and its physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. Nothing of the prison remains today.

The Bastille was built between 1370 and 1383 during the reign of King Charles V as part of the defenses of Paris, the structure was converted into a state prison in the 17th century by Richelieu, who was king Louis XII's chief minister. At that time it primarily housed political prisoners, but also religious prisoners, writers of sedition, and young rakes held at the request of their families. It began to acquire a poor reputation when it became the main prison for those taken under lettres de cachet issued by the King of France.  Lettres de cachet were letters signed by the king, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal, or cachet. They contained orders directly from the king, often to enforce arbitrary actions and judgments that could not be appealed.

By the late 18th century, the building was made up of eight close-packed towers, surrounding two courtyards and the armoury. The governor of the prison was given a daily allowance per prisoner, the amount depending on their status. In terms of standards, there were many worse prisons in France.  The Bastille was a place of horror and oppression, a symbol of autocratic cruelty.

The Storming the Bastille occurred on the afternoon of 14 July 1789.  The prison contained just seven inmates at the time of its storming but was a symbol of abuses by the monarchy; its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution.  Viva La France!!

Prise de la Bastille by  jean-Pierre Houel

What a triumphal day!  It is exciting to see people of another country displaying 

their pride in their country.  It is also an humbling experience.Information from Wikipedia.

Catacombs

Catacombs

I knew one of the sites I wanted to see were the Catacombs of France.  I had seen a special on them a long time ago, and with my love of LesMiserable, the interest was peaked, even though he goes into the sewers, not the catacombs.

The mines created a tunnel work under the city of Paris.  They mined the rock for their buildings from these mines.  Limestone used to build Notre Dame, Louvre, and city fortifications.  It was when they were talking about the mines that they referred to Paris once being called, Lutetia.  This was the Galio-Roman name.

They started placing the remains in these tunnels created by the mines because space became so limited and disease was becoming a fatal factor.

The metro stop the entrance is located for tourists is Denfert.  You can imagine how badly we crushed that word when referring to it!  This area is located south of the former city gate called Barrier d'Enfer referred as the Gate of Hell. 

I forget what these numbers meant, I think 1781 was when the particular bones in this area were relocated.  The other numbers, I believe, refer to where they were dislocated from.

Our first look into the tunnels after descending over 200 steps.

The black line on the ceiling was put these to give the miners directions on how to get out.

Our first encounter with the bones.  Only a portion of this maze of tunnels is open to the 

public.  When it was decided to make this a place for tourists, many of the bones were 

arranged, femur and skulls, to form walls. The catacombs in Paris hold the remains of over six million people in a small part of the ancient mines of Paris. 

The Fountain of Lethe, later renamed the Fountain of the Samaritan, was discovered by quarry workers at the end of the eighteenth century and was restored around 1810 when remains began to be laid here.  "Sicut Unda Dies Nostri Fluxerun" is engraved above the door that enters this area.  

Throughout the burial sites, there were many plaques engraved with Scriptures.

This was the tallest area in the tunnels.  I forget what this pillar is to represent. 

 But in the ceiling above, one can see the layers of the earth.

And this was the way we exited the tunnels!

Now on to the Arc de Triomphe to celebrate France's victory!!

Information from catacomb website and tour information.