Monument sights in France
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Conciergerie
Built as a royal palace in the 14th century for the concierge of the Palais de la Cité, the Conciergerie was the main prison during the Reign of Terror (1793–94) and was used to incarcerate alleged enemies of the Revolution before they were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal in the Palais de Justice next door. Among the 2700 prisoners held in the cachots (dungeons) here before being sent in tumbrels to the guillotine were Queen Marie-Antoinette and, as the Revolution began to turn on its own, the radicals Danton, Robespierre and, finally, the judges of the Tribunal themselves.
The Gothic 14th-century Salle des Gens d’Armes (Cavalrymen’s Hall) is a fine example o…
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Flame of Liberty Memorial
This bronze sculpture – a replica of the one topping New York’s Statue of Liberty – was placed here in 1987 on the centenary of the launch of the International Herald Tribune newspaper, as a symbol of friendship between France and the USA. On 31 August 1997 in the place d’Alma underpass below, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a devastating car accident along with her companion, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur, Henri Paul, and the Flame of Liberty became something of a memorial to her, decorated with flowers, photographs, graffiti and personal notes. It was renovated and cleaned in 2002 and, this being the age of short (or no) memories, apart from a bit of sen…
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Panthéon
The domed landmark now known simply as the Panthéon was commissioned around 1750 as an abbey church dedicated to Ste Geneviève, but because of financial and structural problems it wasn’t completed until 1789 – not a good year for churches to open in France. Two years later, the Constituent Assembly converted it into a secular mausoleum for the grands hommes de l’époque de la liberté française (great men of the era of French liberty).
The Panthéon is a superb example of 18th-century neoclassicism, but its ornate marble interior is gloomy in the extreme. The 80-odd permanent residents of the crypt include Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, …
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Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
Erected by Napoleon to celebrate his battlefield successes of 1805, this triumphal arch, which is set in the Jardin du Carrousel at the eastern end of the Jardin des Tuileries, was once crowned by the ancient Greek sculpture called The Horses of St Mark’s, ‘borrowed’ from the portico of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice by Napoleon but returned after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. The quadriga (the two-wheeled chariot drawn by four horses) that replaced it was added in 1828 and celebrates the return of the Bourbons to the French throne after Napoleon’s downfall. The sides of the arch are adorned with depictions of Napoleonic victories and eight pink-marble columns, atop eac…
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Sorbonne
Paris’ most renowned seat of learning, the Sorbonne was founded in 1253 by Robert de Sorbon, confessor to Louis IX, as a college for 16 impoverished theology students. Today, the Sorbonne’s main complex (bounded by rue de la Sorbonne, rue des Écoles, rue St-Jacques and rue Cujas) and other buildings in the vicinity house most of the 13 autonomous universities that were created when the University of Paris was reorganised after violent student protests in 1968. Parts of the complex are undergoing extensive renovation, scheduled to be completed in 2015.
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Mémorial du Passé Bonifacien
From the marina, the atmospheric Montée St-Roch leads to the citadel via Porte de Gênes (Genoa Gate; pedestrian access only). This gate was the only way of getting into the citadel until the Porte de France was built in 1854. To the north is the Bastion de l'Étendard, a remnant of the fortifications built in the aftermath of the siege in 1553. It is home to the Mémorial du Passé Bonifacien , where various episodes in the town's history have been re-created.
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Tomb of Émile Olivier
At the northern end of Plage des Salins, on a rock jutting out to sea, is the Tomb of Émile Olivier (1825-1913), who served as first minister to Napoleon III until his exile in 1870. Olivier's 17-volume L'Empire Libéral is preserved in the library of Château La Moutte, his former home on Cap des Salins.
Olivier's sea-facing tomb looks out towards La Tête de Chien (Dog's Head), named after the legendary dog who declined to eat St Torpes' remains.
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Église St-Michel des Lions
The Église St-Michel des Lions, named for the two granite lions flanking the door, was built between the 14th and 16th centuries. It contains St-Martial’s relics (including his head) and some beautiful 15th-century stained glass, but its most notable feature is the huge copper ball perched atop its 65m-high spire.
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Bronze Sculpture
Just south of the train station is a bizarre bronze sculpture, a square column with a pile of – no, it can't be! – on top. Clues about its meaning can be found on the nearby brass plaques.
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Tour de la Grosse Horloge
The gateway to the old city, Tour de la Grosse Horloge is a steadfast Gothic-style clock tower, with a 12th-century base and an 18th-century top. For safety reasons, it’s not possible to enter.
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Église de St-Tropez
Sweet-chiming Église de St-Tropez is a quintessential St-Trop landmark built in 1785 in Italian baroque style. Inside is the bust of St Torpes, honoured during Les Bravades des Espagnols.
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Colonne Louis XVIII
Colonne Louis XVIII commemorates the French king's return from exile in England after the fall of Napoleon (1814). A close inspection will reveal a Hollywood-style imprint of the royal foot.
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Bailli de Suffren Statue
Here a cast from a 19th-century cannon peers out to sea. The bailiff (1729-88) was a sailor who fought with a Tropezien crew against Britain and Prussia during the Seven Years' War.
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Galerie de la Marine
Galerie de la Marine. At the quai des États-Unis' eastern end, a war memorial hewn from the rock commemorates the 4000 Niçois who died in both world wars.
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Monument aux Repatriés d'Afrique du Nord
Sculpted in bronze by César in 1971, the enormous propeller of the Monument aux Repatriés d'Afrique du Nord honours those who returned from North Africa.
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Monument aux Morts de l'Armée d'Orient
The 1922 Monument aux Morts de l'Armée d'Orient, a WWI memorial statue.
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