Pont Royal
Encyclopedia
The Pont Royal is a bridge
crossing the river Seine
in Paris
. It is the third oldest bridge in Paris, after the Pont Neuf
and the Pont Marie
.
with the Left Bank of Paris between rue du Bac and the rue de Beaune. The bridge is constructed with five elliptical arches en plein cintre. A hydrographic ladder, indicating floods' highest level in Paris, is visible on the last pier nearest each bank.
) or Pont Rouge (due to its color). It was designed to replace the Tuileries ferry upon which the rue du Bac (bac meaning ferry in French) owes its name. The ferry had been offering crossings since 1550. Fragile, this bridge of fifteen arches would be repaired for the first time in 1649, completely redone two years later, burnt in 1654, flooded in 1656, completely rebuilt in 1660, propped up in 1673 and finally carried away by a flood in February 1684. Madame de Sévigné reported that this last incident caused the loss of eight of the bridge's arches.
It was finally reconstructed between October 25, 1685, and June 13, 1689, this time with stone
, receiving complete financing from the king Louis XIV; it was the king who gave it the name Pont Royal. Louvois
director of the Bâtiments du Roi
, charged Jacques Gabriel
, Jules Hardouin-Mansart and François Romain
with the construction project. In the 18th century, the bridge was a popular meeting place for various festivities and celebrations.
At the time of the French Revolution
, in the period following the fall of the monarchy on 10 August 1792 and the beginning of the First French Empire
in 1804 - the name of Pont Royal was changed to Pont National. During that period, General Napoléon Bonaparte (future Napoléon I, Emperor of the French
) had cannons installed on the bridge in order to protect the Convention Nationale and the Committee of Public Safety
, housed in the Tuileries Palace.
During the First French Empire (1804-1814), Napoléon I renamed the bridge Pont des Tuileries, a name that was kept until the Restoration
in 1814 when king Louis XVIII gave back to the bridge its royal name.
The bridge underwent a last reconstruction in 1850. In 1939, it was classified as a monument historique
under the same bill as the Pont Neuf
and the Pont Marie
.
In 2005, Pont Royal was illuminated by lights at night as one of the Paris Olympic Bid
highlights.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
crossing the river Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
in Paris
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...
. It is the third oldest bridge in Paris, after the Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf is, despite its name, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained....
and the Pont Marie
Pont Marie
The Pont Marie is a bridge which crosses the Seine in Paris, France.The bridge links the Île Saint-Louis to the quai de l'Hôtel de Ville and is one of three bridges designed to allow traffic flow between the Île Saint-Louis and the Left and Right banks of Paris...
.
Location
The Pont Royal links the Right Bank by the Pavillon de FlorePavillon de Flore
The Pavillon de Flore is a section of the Palais du Louvre in Paris, France. Its construction began in 1595, during the reign of Henry IV, and has had numerous renovations since. The structure stands along the south face of the Louvre Museum, near the Pont Royal...
with the Left Bank of Paris between rue du Bac and the rue de Beaune. The bridge is constructed with five elliptical arches en plein cintre. A hydrographic ladder, indicating floods' highest level in Paris, is visible on the last pier nearest each bank.
History
In 1632, the entrepreneur Pierre Pidou directed the construction of a wooden toll-bridge which would be called Pont Sainte-Anne (in deference to Anne of AustriaAnne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
) or Pont Rouge (due to its color). It was designed to replace the Tuileries ferry upon which the rue du Bac (bac meaning ferry in French) owes its name. The ferry had been offering crossings since 1550. Fragile, this bridge of fifteen arches would be repaired for the first time in 1649, completely redone two years later, burnt in 1654, flooded in 1656, completely rebuilt in 1660, propped up in 1673 and finally carried away by a flood in February 1684. Madame de Sévigné reported that this last incident caused the loss of eight of the bridge's arches.
It was finally reconstructed between October 25, 1685, and June 13, 1689, this time with stone
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
, receiving complete financing from the king Louis XIV; it was the king who gave it the name Pont Royal. Louvois
Louvois
Louvois may refer to:* François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois , French Secretary of State for War, commonly referred to as "Louvois"* Camille le Tellier de Louvois , French clergyman, son of the marquis...
director of the Bâtiments du Roi
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi was a division of Department of the household of the Kings of France in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.-History:...
, charged Jacques Gabriel
Jacques Gabriel
Jacques Gabriel was a French architect, the father of the famous Ange-Jacques Gabriel.His mother was a cousin of Jules Hardouin-Mansart and his father, another Jacques Gabriel was a masonry contractor for the Bâtiments du Roi, the French royal works, and the designer of the Château de Choisy for...
, Jules Hardouin-Mansart and François Romain
François Romain
François Romain was an engineer-architect who had taken minor orders as a Dominican friar. By commission of the States of Holland, in 1683 he reconstructed the ancient bridge at Maastricht, crossing the river and the Liège Canal in nine arches...
with the construction project. In the 18th century, the bridge was a popular meeting place for various festivities and celebrations.
French 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...
, in the period following the fall of the monarchy on 10 August 1792 and the beginning of the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
in 1804 - the name of Pont Royal was changed to Pont National. During that period, General Napoléon Bonaparte (future Napoléon I, Emperor of the French
Emperor of the French
The Emperor of the French was the title used by the Bonaparte Dynasty starting when Napoleon Bonaparte was given the title Emperor on 18 May 1804 by the French Senate and was crowned emperor of the French on 02 December 1804 at the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, in Paris with the Crown of...
) had cannons installed on the bridge in order to protect the Convention Nationale and the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
, housed in the Tuileries Palace.
During the First French Empire (1804-1814), Napoléon I renamed the bridge Pont des Tuileries, a name that was kept until the Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
in 1814 when king Louis XVIII gave back to the bridge its royal name.
The bridge underwent a last reconstruction in 1850. In 1939, it was classified as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
under the same bill as the Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf is, despite its name, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained....
and the Pont Marie
Pont Marie
The Pont Marie is a bridge which crosses the Seine in Paris, France.The bridge links the Île Saint-Louis to the quai de l'Hôtel de Ville and is one of three bridges designed to allow traffic flow between the Île Saint-Louis and the Left and Right banks of Paris...
.
In 2005, Pont Royal was illuminated by lights at night as one of the Paris Olympic Bid
Paris 2012 Olympic bid
Paris 2012 was an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in Paris. The bidding race was eventually won by the London 2012 bid after a 54-50 vote of the International Olympic Committee on 6 July 2005...
highlights.