Place Vendôme Column | Paris

📖 Paris is a revolutionary holy land. Under every statue in the square, there must be a story buried; otherwise, it wouldn't be called Paris. 📖 Not far from the Louvre, Place Vendôme (Vendôme is a historic city in north-central France) is almost enclosed, with the famous bronze column covered with bas-reliefs in the middle, which is said to be cast from the melted countless enemy cannons captured by Napoleon. 📖 Those endless spiraling bas-reliefs record battles after battles, the glory accumulated bit by bit by Napoleon. The statue of Napoleon on top is the work of French sculptor Antoine Chaudet, placed at the top of the column in 1808. 📖 During the French Revolution, of course, there wouldn't be a statue of Napoleon standing here, because at that time Napoleon was just an unknown junior officer. 📖 Back then, it was a statue of Louis XIV that stood here, erected on August 12, 1692, and then pushed down by the people on August 12, 1792. Louis XIV shattered into pieces, and it is said that a woman was killed on the spot. Only a bronze foot remained from these fragments, which is said to be in the Paris City History Museum. During the later Paris Commune uprising, it was also dragged to the ground, tumbling in a series of twists and turns. Fortunately, it was later restored by some well-wishers. #Paris #HistoricalArchitecture