PALACES, MONUMENTS, AND CHURCHES

If architecture is what makes you smile, then look at these options:

VERSAILLES
One of the most visited monuments in France is the Palace of Versailles. Wanting to escape the busy life in Paris, and to keep the nobility under his control, Louis XIV built this chateau in which he set up home and installed the government. Louis Le Vau was commissioned to renovate and extend an old hunting lodge, Le Notre created the gardens from swamp land, and Mansart masterminded the hydraulic display of the fountains. The many buildings attached to the castle form a small town. The whole complex is a magnificent monument. The garden facade is 575 metres long with various annexes dotted here and there in a park which is several kilometres in both length and width. The park shows the skill of Le Notre in making good use of the natural resources on the site. http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/

EIFFEL TOWER
The Parisian landmark is the tallest structure within central Paris and is one of the most recognized structures in the world. Including the 24m (79 ft) antenna, the structure is 325m (1,063 ft) high. When the tower was completed in 1889 it replaced the Washington Monument as the world’s tallest structure; a title it retained until 1930 when New York City’s Chrysler Building was completed. The structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tons. Depending on the ambient temperature the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 18 cm (7 in) due to thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun. The tower also sways 6-7 cm (2-3 in) in the wind. The first and second levels are accessible by stairs and lifts. A ticket booth at the south tower base sells tickets to use the stairs, which begin at that location. At the first platform the stairs continue up from the east tower and the third level summit is only accessible by lift. Once you are on the first or second platform the stairs are open for anyone to ascend or descend regardless of whether you have purchased a lift ticket or stair ticket. The actual count of stairs includes 9 steps to the ticket booth at the base, 328 steps to the first level, 340 steps to the second level and 18 steps to the lift platform on the second level. When exiting the lift at the third level, 15 more steps take you to the upper observation platform. The step count is printed periodically on the side of the stairs to give an indication of progress. The majority of the ascent allows for an unhindered view of the area directly beneath and around the tower except during brief stretches of the stairway that are enclosed. http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

PALAIS ROYAL
Famous for its gardens where revolutionary plots all started, today they are a haven of peace next to the Louvre. The main courtyard, with access via a vaulted passage, displays a noble main facade and two wings, bordered by colonnaded galleries. The space of this beautiful courtyard is now decorated with a set of 260 unequal sections of columns, striped black and white. The Orleans gallery, which dates from the Restoration, separates the courtyard from the gardens. The Royal is in two distinct parts : the palace itself and the galleries that surround the park on three sides. The Palais Royal was built in 1629 for Cardinal Richelieu by Le Mercier, who was also responsible for the Pavillion de l’Horloge in the Louvre, and the Sorbonne. In the 1840’s the Palais was very popular because of its gardens, shopping galleries and cafés. Today, this area houses the Council of the state, the Constitutional Council, the ministry of Culture, the Comedie Française, where the classics of French theatre are performed, and various departments of the Beaux-Arts. http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Palais.Royal/

CHATEAU DE FONTAINEBLEAU
8 centuries of the History of France A Château inhabited by all sovereigns since the Middle Ages: Kings, Queens, Emperors and Empresses cherished this place, and all left traces of their passage. Today, Fontainebleau offers visitors its architectural treasures, its décors, its paintings and the thousands of fascinating and precious objects that it has preserved. http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/

ARC DE TRIOMPHE
If you follow the full length of the Champs-Elysees from the Place de la Concorde, you will discover Place de toile (known today as the Place Charles de Gaulle). In the middle of this circular drive is the Arc de omphe. The arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, and today houses the tomb of the unknown soldier. The Arc is the linchpin of the historic axis of roads in central Paris—a series of monuments and roads on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of the city. The monument stands over 51 meters (165 ft) in height and is 45 meters wide. The Arc de Triomphe is so large that three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919, marking the end of hostilities in World War I, Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it. To get a closer look at the Arc de Triomphe, you can take an underpass on the Champs-Elysees (or Avenue de la Grande Armee) that leads you to the center of the plaza. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe
http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Arc/
To watch the video of Godefroy’s flight, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIZzkq5Y8q0

PLACE DE LA CONCORDE
Located between the Champs Elysées and the Tuileries Gardens. It was designed by Gabriel begun in 1748 and completed in 1763. It was first called Place Louis XV, and planned as a worthy setting for the royal statue. Place de la Concorde is often associated with the bloody events that took place on its pavement. In 1770, for example, 133 spectators were trampled to death at a huge fireworks display on the occasion of Marie-Antoinette’s wedding to the Dauphin. A few decades later, the revolutionaries, who were intent on eliminating all royalist monuments from the face of the earth, removed Louis XlV’s statue, dubbed the plaza Place de la Révolution, and set up their guillotine on it. Louis XVI, Marie- Antoinette and 1,119 other people lost their lives here, among them Charlotte Corday (the murderess of Marat), Danton, Philippe-Égalité and Robespierre. In order to help restore the original intent of the square, the Directory renamed the square Place de la Concorde in 1795. And, officially, the 1830 Revolution renamed it Place de la Concorde. Two commanding edifices, whose colonnades are copies of the Perrault wings of the Louvre, rise up over the north side of the plaza. And, currently situated in the right-hand building is the Naval Ministry. Just on the Place de la Concorde sits the famous “palace” the Hôtel Crillon. Formerly, its elegant salons served as the winter quarters for the famous Chateaubriand family. Today it houses the French automobile club. There are eight statues representing the eight major cities of France: Brest and Rouen (in the northwest), Lille and Strasbourg (to the northeast), Lyon and Marseille (on the Quai des Tuileries) and Bordeaux and Nantes (in the southwest). In the center of the plaza is the Obelisk of Luxor, a pink granite monolith 23 m (73 ft) high and weighing 220 tons. It is 3,300 years old and decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaon Ramses II. The Obelisk was presented as a gift to Charles X by the Egyptian viceroy Méhémet Ali in 1829. So that future generations would be reminded of the effort it required to erect this monument, the procedure, including the mechanical devices that were used, are portrayed on the pedestal. http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Concorde/ http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/ Obelisque.shtml

THE SACRÉ-COEUR BASILICA AND MONTMARTRE
From the earliest days, Montmartre was a place of worship: the Druids, the ls, the Roman temples dedicated to the gods Mars and Mercury; St Peter’s church rebuilt near the Royal Abbey of Montmartre on the XII century by King Louis the VI and his wife Adélaïde of Savoy; and finally the Sacred Heart erected at the end of the XIX century. The basilica was built on a vast scale to take full advantage of its commanding site. The architect Abadie was inspired by the Romano-Byzantine style. The domes, elongated into ovoid forms, the 80-metre bell-tower from which the 19-ton Savoyarde bell can be heard, and the whiteness of the structure make it one of the major landmarks of Paris. The building’s extraordinary whiteness is a result of the Chateau-Landon stone used in its construction, as it bleaches with age. The impressive façade with its triple-arched portico is surmounted by two bronze equestrian statues of St. Joan of Arc and St. Louis by H. Lefebvre, and the climax of the overall design is the statue of Christ, his hand raised in blessing. In contrast to the exterior, the interior is extensively decorated with mosaics: those in the apse over the high altar show Christ adored by the Virgin, St. Joan of Arc and St Michael. For general information, call Tel : 33 (0)1 53 41 89 09 Metro line 4, 2 or 12 : Abbesses (then take hill tram), Anvers (then take hill tram), Barbes-Rochechouart, Chateau-Rouge, Lamarck-Caulaincourt Bus: 30, 31, 80, 85 and Montmartrobus (from Métro Jules Joffrin or Pigalle) Hours: Basilica open from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm Dome open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Fees Free for the basilica; Dome: 2 euros; Crypt: 2 euros Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/us/index.html

MONTMARTRE
Montmarte gets its name from “mount of martyrs”. St. Denys, the First Bishop of Paris (and Patron Saint of Paris) is said to have been martyred on the hill. From that point forward, it became a center for religious devotion. The Benedictine order has a priory within Sacrè Couer. In addition, there is a Carmelite monastery in close proximity to the basilica.

SAINT PETER’S CHURCH
Originally an Abbey of Benedictines nuns who came from the convent of St Pierre in Reims, the church claims itself to be the oldest parish in Paris. St Peter’s is noted for its partly romanesque, partly early gothic architecture.

SAINT JOHN’S CHURCH
The church was built between 1897 and 1904 by the architect Anatole de Baudot. Its magnificent stained-glass windows are by Jacques Galland. The church was one of the first ever to be constructed of reinforced concrete. Montmartre is a hill 130 metres high and also the name of the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. Today, it is still a haven for artists. Montmartre can be very crowded during weekends. Go there in the morning and on weekdays.

NOTRE DAME DE PARIS
Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité, with its main entrance to the west. It is still used as a Roman Catholic cathedral and is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It was restored and saved from destruction by Viollet-le-Duc, one of France’s most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means “Our Lady” in French. Notre Dame de Paris was one of the first Gothic cathedrals, and its construction spanned the Gothic period. Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism, giving them a more secular look that was lacking from earlier Romanesque architecture. Notre Dame was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. So, the cathedral’s architects built supports around the outside walls and later additions continued in the same style. The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state. There are five bells at Notre Dame. The great bourdon bell, Emmanuel, is in the South Tower. It weighs just over 13 tons and is tolled to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and services. There are four additional bells on wheels in the North Tower, which are swing chimed. These bells are rung for various services and festivals. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris In front of the cathedral, you will find the entrance to an underground museum, the crypte archeologique, where you will find the remains of the church which predated the cathedral, as well as streets and houses of the Cite dating as far back as the Roman era. On the pavement by the west door of Notre-Dame is a spot known as kilometre zero. This is where all of the main road distances in France are calculated.

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