Place de la Nation
Encyclopedia
The place de la Nation (formerly the place du Trône, then the place du Trône-Renversé) is a square in Paris
, on the border of the 11th
and 12th arrondissements
. It was renamed the Place de la Nation at the national festivities of 14 July
1880 and is served by the Paris Metro
station Nation.
and Maria Theresa of Spain
, arriving in the city from Saint-Jean-de-Luz
after their marriage. This gave the square its original name of place du Trône.
Originally in the square were two pavilions and two columns of the barrière du Trône designed by Claude Nicolas Ledoux
and built for the barrier of octroi
(Mur des Fermiers généraux) which surrounded the entrance to the cours de Vincennes. The columns are surmounted by statues of kings Philip II
and Louis IX
.
, at first in plaster in 1889 and then in bronze in 1899. A personification of the Republic, looking towards place de la Bastille
and thus creating a Republican axis still frequently used for popular demonstrations, stands on a globe in a chariot pulled by lions and surrounded by various symbolic figures.
, Richard Anthony
, Eddy Mitchell
and Frank Alamo. It attracted over 150,000 young people and raised their spirits, with the following day's issue of the journal Paris-Presse having the headline "Salut les voyous !". The photographer and friend of many singers, Jean-Marie Périer
, photographed the concert. In the same era the place de la Nation was also partially the location for the foire du Trône before the pelouse de Reuilly.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, on the border of the 11th
XIe arrondissement
The 11th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.Situated on the Right Bank of the River Seine, the 11th is one of the most densely populated urban districts not just of Paris but of any European city.-Description:The eleventh arrondissement is a...
and 12th arrondissements
XIIe arrondissement
The 12th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
. It was renamed the Place de la Nation at the national festivities of 14 July
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
1880 and is served by the Paris Metro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
station Nation.
Ancien Regime
Whilst the city bears the traces of the mur des Fermiers généraux built well beyond the buildings of Paris city of Paris in a campaign to encircle houses, gardens and monasteries, its construction left a vast grassy space of vines and market gardens as far as the medieval city wall and the walls of the gardens of the old village of Picpus, filled with major convents, schools and retreats. In this space a throne was set up on 26 July 1660 for the solemn entry into Paris of Louis XIVLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
and Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...
, arriving in the city from Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Saint-Jean-de-Luz is part of the province Basque of Labourd and the Basque Eurocity Bayonne - San Sebastian .-Geography:...
after their marriage. This gave the square its original name of place du Trône.
Originally in the square were two pavilions and two columns of the barrière du Trône designed by Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only in domestic architecture but town planning; as a consequence of his visionary plan for the Ideal City of Chaux, he became known as a utopian...
and built for the barrier of octroi
Octroi
Octroi is a local tax collected on various articles brought into a district for consumption.-Antiquity:Octroi taxes have a respectable antiquity, being known in Roman times as vectigalia...
(Mur des Fermiers généraux) which surrounded the entrance to the cours de Vincennes. The columns are surmounted by statues of kings Philip II
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
and Louis IX
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
.
French Revolution
On the Revolution, the square was renamed place du Trône-Renversé after 10 August 1792. In the south half of the square, the most shaded side, near the pavilion of law built by Ledoux and on what is now the site of the magasin Damart, a guillotine was set up. Those guillotined here are buried at cimetière de Picpus and include:- André-Marie ChénierAndré ChénierAndré Marie Chénier was a French poet, associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precursors of the Romantic movement...
, 25 July 1794. - Cécile RenaultCécile RenaultCécile-Aimée Renault was a French woman accused of trying to assassinate Robespierre during the Reign of Terror with two small knives. Born in 1774 in Paris, she was guillotined on 17 June 1794 in what is now Place de la Nation....
, Henri AdmiratHenri AdmiratHenri Admirat was a notable figure in the French Revolution. He was executed on the guillotine for attempting to assassinate Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois.- Admirat's assassination attempt :...
and Jean-Baptiste MichonisJean-Baptiste MichonisJean-Baptiste Michonis was a personality of the French Revolution. Originally a producer of lemonade, he became a member of the Commune de Paris, inspector of prisons and chief of police. He participated in the "complot de l'œillet" organised by Jean, Baron de Batz and for this was guillotined...
, 17 June 1794. - Josse-François-Joseph BenautJosse-François-Joseph BenautJosse-François-Joseph Benaut was a Belgian composer, organist and harpsichordist who was guillotined during the French Revolution. His father Charles Benaut was an organist in Wulveringen in Flanders...
, composer, 13 July 1794. - The Martyrs of CompiègneMartyrs of CompiègneThe Martyrs of Compiègne are sixteen Carmelite nuns who were guillotined On 17 July 1794 during the Reign of Terror. They are commemorated on 17 July of the Carmelite Calendar of Saints.Terrye Newkirk writes in :...
, Carmelite nuns, 17 July 1794
19th century
The central monument, "The Triumph of the Republic", is a bronze group by sculptor Aimé-Jules Dalou. It was set up to mark the centenary of the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, at first in plaster in 1889 and then in bronze in 1899. A personification of the Republic, looking towards place de la Bastille
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris, where the Bastille prison stood until the 'Storming of the Bastille' and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution; no vestige of it remains....
and thus creating a Republican axis still frequently used for popular demonstrations, stands on a globe in a chariot pulled by lions and surrounded by various symbolic figures.
20th century
On 22 June 1963, the magazine Salut les copains organised a concert here, with singers such as Johnny HallydayJohnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
, Richard Anthony
Richard Anthony (French singer)
Richard Anthony is a French singer, born 13 January 1938 in Cairo, Egypt, as Ricardo Btesh.-Biography:Richard's father was an industrialist, and his mother was the daughter of an English diplomat...
, Eddy Mitchell
Eddy Mitchell
Eddy Mitchell is a French singer and actor. He began his career in the late 1950s, with the group Les Chaussettes Noires , taking his name from the American expatriate tough-guy actor Eddie Constantine...
and Frank Alamo. It attracted over 150,000 young people and raised their spirits, with the following day's issue of the journal Paris-Presse having the headline "Salut les voyous !". The photographer and friend of many singers, Jean-Marie Périer
Jean-Marie Périer
Jean-Marie Périer is a French photographer and film director.On 22 June 1963, the magazine Salut les copains organised a concert on Place de la Nation in Paris, with singers such as Johnny Hallyday, Richard Anthony, Eddy Mitchell and Frank Alamo...
, photographed the concert. In the same era the place de la Nation was also partially the location for the foire du Trône before the pelouse de Reuilly.