Shuttle transportation from Porte Saint Martin to Paris airports

History and visit of Porte Saint-Martin in Paris

Huge infrastructure with a height of 18 m, this triumphal arch called Porte de Saint-Martin is currently classified as a world historic monument. This door is located in France in the city of Paris, it was the work of the architect Pierre Bullet. If we take a closer look at its location, we can infer that it was built on the ruins of the famous “Charles V Wall”. The first constructions date from 1674 following the orders of the King of France Louis XIV. Like the Saint-Denis worn, it also reflects the successive victories of Louis XIV in the Rhine and in Franche-Comté. It was Pierre Bullet, disciple of the architect François Blondel, who was in charge of its construction. It officially became a historical monument in 1863. Long before the gates of triumph were built, the rue de Saint-Martin had also housed fortified walls. The current monument that can be found in the city of Paris was the successor of these fortified gates dating from medieval times. The Saint-Merri arch was the name of the first Porte Saint-Martin, if we follow the historical coordinates of its location, it must have been at Place Edmond-Michelet in present-day Paris. The second door successor to the name Saint-Martin dates from the 13th century, the northern part of the intersection of the two streets Saint-Martin and Grenier-Saint-Lazare was its former location. The penultimate Porte Saint-Martin was built during the 14th century, the bastide which had served as protection was completely demolished in 1673. The fourth Porte Saint-Martin is the one currently found in the far north of the rue de Saint-Martin, in the city of Paris. All the architecture was made of limestone with vermiculures, as for the attic is completely made of marble. Since it is a triumphal arch, the spandrels tell a whole story thanks to the allegories marked on them. In the northern part of the gate, we find the Capture of Limburg, symbolized by a woman seated next to a lion, this victory of 1675 was sculpted by Peter I Legros. We also discover a figure representing a woman and an old man protected by Louis XIV when the latter won the war against the Germans, this was the work of the sculptor Gaspard Marsy. As for the south facade, there is a representation of Louis XIV standing like the Greek character Hercules, stripped naked, adorned with a wig on his head and proudly walking on the Greek god Acheloos, this marks the Break of the Triple Alliance. It was Etienne le Hongre who was the sculptor. And a last sculpture clearly shows Louis XIV in a standing position near an olive tree and a palm tree, receiving in his hands keys from a woman in a kneeling position, this image speaks of the taking of Besançon, the merit of the work goes to Van Den Bogaert. As a whole, the Porte Saint-Martin is hollowed out in the center by a large alley and on the two lateral sides, there are two crossings for pedestrians. This monument located in the 10th arrondissement was restored in 1989, a few years later its nomination to the list of world historic monuments followed. Tourists come there daily to visit this gigantic infrastructure dating from the 17th century.