History
In 1660 Louis XIV descended on Marseille to bring order to a city in political turmoil. His troops blasted a hole in the old thirteenth century ramparts that ran the length of the rue d'Aix between the city gates of "Porte Royale" and "Porte d'Aix". Part of the subsequent reorganisation of Marseille involved not only an increased military presence, demolition of the old ramparts, new royal shipyards (Arsenal des Galères) and seaward fortifications, but also a new governing body drawn from the merchant class, charged with making plans to expand and beautify the city. From an early stage these plans included the reconstruction of the Porte Royale and the removal of the unsightly overground aqueduct (aqueduc de l'Huveaune) in the place d'Aix at the end of the rue d'Aix: the original porte d'Aix was formed by the arches of this aqueduct. Numerous projects for city plans were proposed, including one by Pierre Puget, placing a ceremonial Porte Royale in the place d'Aix.
Eventually in 1784 the city of Marseille decided to use the profits generated by the sale of the royal shipyards to erect a royal triumphal arch in the place d'Aix "to the glory of Louis XIV and to commemorate the peace gloriously achieved, putting an end to the war of independence in America". Already delayed by local officialdom, the project was abandoned during the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule. Following the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, the project was resumed in 1823 by the mayor of Marseille, the Marquis de Montgrand, under royal charter from Louis XVIII; this time it was intended to commemorate the victory of Louis-Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, son of the future king Charles X, at the Battle of Trocadero that resulted in the restoration of Ferdinand VII as king of Spain.
The first stone was laid in 1825 by the Marquis de Montgrand with a dedication to the royal family. The aqueduct was demolished three years later to clear the place d'Aix. The project, however, was to suffer yet again from changes in regime in France. Although the main construction work started under Charles X, it was only completed under Louis-Philippe in 1839; and, with the intervening political changes in France, the monument could no longer just celebrate the campaign of the Duke of Angoulême, but instead the more general theme of French victories.
Read more about this topic: Porte D'Aix
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