Porte du Peyrou, Montpellier

Porte du Peyrou, Montpellier

The Porte du Peyrou at the eastern end of Place Royale du Peyrou is a triumphal arch erected in 1691-'93 to honor King Louis XIV.

The Porte du Peyrou at the eastern end of Place Royale du Peyrou is a triumphal arch erected in 1691-'93 to honor King Louis XIV. It was constructed by architect Augustin-Charles d'Aviler based on drawings by François II d'Orbay. Built on the highest point of Montpellier at an altitude of 52 meters, the yellow and ochre arch is 15 metres high and 18 metres wide.

The crowning Doric entablature is inscribed with the words 'Ludovico magno LXXII annos regnante dissociatis repressis conciliatis gentibus quartet decennali bello conjuratis pax terra marta parta 1715', which translates to "Louis the Great, whose reign lasted seventy-two years, Brought peace on land and sea after separating and attaching to Allied people in the Forty Years War". Below it is the royal crest in blue. The abutments have panels in bas-relief depicting events from the reign of Louis XIV as allegories - the capture of Namur during the War of the Grand Alliance, in which the figure representing the Dutch Republic kneels before Louis XIV, Hercules representing Louis XIV being crowned by Victory, digging of the Canal du Midi that links the Bay of Biscay with the Mediterranean Sea, and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. It also has medallions depicting events in allegorical style.