On the morning of August 17th, 1919, a small, cream colored plane with red, white, and green embellishments shot through the Avenue de la Grande Armée, nearly missing a tram and terrifying its passengers. Passers-by ran away frightened, not knowing the purpose of the plane’s peculiar path of flight. The pilot, Charles Godefroy, had a goal in mind- to guide his plane through the exquisite monument to history’s fallen soldiers that stood at the end of the avenue. Godefroy, under the eyes of hundreds of onlookers, flew his plane nicknamed Bébé through the Arc de Triomphe.
The Arc de Triomphe has a myriad of characteristics- such as the anecdote of Charles Godefroy- that make it one of France’s most interesting pieces of architecture. Commissioned by Napoleon, designed by Neoclassical architect Jean Chalgrin, and built in August of 1806, the 50 meter tall arch stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. It is considered to hold together the historic axis, or L’Axe historique. The historic axis is a route from the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of Paris, and contains many different monuments and passageways. As an icon of French patriotism, it is one of the most visited attractions in all of Paris.
Jean Chalgrin was a prolific architect even before he was commissioned to design the arch. Chalgrin won the Prix de Rome in 1758 at just nineteen years old with his design of a pavilion at the corner of a terrace. The work on the arch was taken over by Louis-Robert Goust, Chalgrin’s former pupil, after Chalgrin died in 1811.
The artistic and architectural value that the Arc carries is enormous. A multitude of sculptures and façades cover its stones, each one representing a different aspect of the French revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Allegorical figures of Roman gods decorate the arcades, and a sophisticated barrel vault inspired by the Roman arch of Titus constitutes the “ceiling” under the Arc. Four sculptural groups adorn the the base of the Arc: The Triumph of 1810 by Jean-Pierre Cortot, Resistance and Peace both by Antoine Étex, and Departure of the Volunteers of 1792 – commonly called La Marseillaise – by François Rude. La Marseillaise is the most renowned of the sculptures of the Arc. Nicknamed after the the title of the French national anthem, this sculpture commemorates the Battle of Valmy – a clash between French and Austro-Prussian forces with the French ultimately prevailing and securing protection for the Republic. The Arc’s sculptural program was controlled by King Louis-Philippe, who saw the Arc as a way to promote national reconciliation. He wanted the sculptures presented by the Arc to appeal to both ends of the political spectrum. Thus, to the left from the Republican-oriented La Marseillaise is Cortot’s Bonapartist-themed The Triumph of 1810.
Perhaps the most important thing about the Arc is what it pays tribute to. The Arc honors people who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars with lists of French victories engraved under the great arches, great battles engraved on the insides of the facades, and 558 names of French generals who fought in the revolution in the inside walls of the monument. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is reverently placed under the Arc. Western Europe’s first eternal flame started to burn there on the Armistice Day of 1920 since the extinguishing of the Vestal Virgins’ fire in 391. The flame is kept alight in memory of those who have died unidentified in World Wars I and II. The slab above the coffin, which was interred on January 21st, 1921, is engraved with the inscription “Here lies a French soldier who died for his fatherland 1914-1918.”
The Arc de Triomphe is an important icon not just of French art and architecture, but also the fierce nationalism and passion of its past citizens. It is no surprise that millions of tourists flock to it each year to experience its momentous influence and importance. The Arc de Triomphe is an important part of French history, and will continue to be for many years to come.