This gate was built on the boulevard opened by Colbert on the site of former fortifications. The triumphal arch was dedicated to Louis XIV by the city of Paris in 1674, to celebrate the victories won in Franche-Comté during the Dutch wars. The Latin inscription engraved on the attic reads: A Louis le Grand pour avoir pris deux fois Besançon et la Franche-Comté et vaincu les armées allemande, espagnole et hollandaise, le Prévôt des marchands et échevins de Paris.
