Parisian squares have always been intimately linked with the country's history, whether political, like the Place Vendôme, or judicial, like the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and its many public executions. Here's another place that's no exception to the rule: Place des Victoires, located on the borders of the 1st and 2nd arrondissements.
Like Place Vendôme, Place des Victoires was created as a tribute to Louis XIV and his military victories. The idea came from the marshal and duke of La Feuillade, the king's famous courtier. He commissioned sculptor Martin Desjardins to create an imposing, triumphant bronze statue of Louis XIV to celebrate his victory at Nijmegen in 1678. La Feuillade spent no less than 7 million livres on the work. The king was delighted, but the marshal was ruined.
In addition to the statue of the Sun King, La Feuillade commissioned the famous architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart to build a square to house the statue: the Place des Victoires. This was the first circular square in the history of classical town planning! Hardouin-Mansart's urban plan was very strict, and owners were obliged to build symmetrical buildings according to certain standards: a high-ceilinged second floor, a mansard-roofed third floor and so on. The Place des Victoires was finally inaugurated in 1686.
As you stroll through this pretty square, you'll notice that the statue in the center is not a full-length Louis XIV, but another statue of the Sun King on horseback. In fact, the original statue, like many of the city's assets, was destroyed during the French Revolution in 1792. In its place, the revolutionaries built a wooden pyramid bearing the names of their fellow soldiers who died on August 10, 1792.
Once in power, Louis XVIII commissioned a new statue of Louis XIV, this time proudly mounted on a prancing horse, from sculptor François-Joseph Bosio. It was unveiled in 1822, and is the one you can still see today!
Henceforth, the kings of France are buried and Place des Victoires, like Place Vendôme, has become a place devoted to haute-couture and fashion designers!
