![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/PorteDuPeyrou.jpg/250px-PorteDuPeyrou.jpg)
The Porte du Peyrou is a triumphal arch in Montpellier, in southern France. It is situated at the eastern end of the Jardin de Peyrou, a park near the center of the city.
The arch was designed by François Dorbay, after the model of the Porte Saint-Denis in Paris. Its construction was completed in 1693. Its rusticated surface is crowned by a Doric entablature, suitable to a martial monument. Its later panels in bas-relief and inscriptions glorifying King Louis XIV of France were added in 1715.
These reliefs show four major events from the reign of Louis XIV, rendered 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
- Louis in the figure of Hercules being crowned by Victory
- the digging of the Canal du Midi that links the Bay of Biscay with the Mediterranean Sea
- the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
Montpellier as seen from the Porte du Peyrou.
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The Foch avenue as seen from the Porte du Peyrou
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The Foch avenue as seen from the Porte du Peyrou
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The Peyrou promenade as seen from the Porte du Peyrou
External links
[edit]- Restoration of the arch (in French)
43°36′40″N 3°52′20.5″E / 43.61111°N 3.872361°E