Vendome Column

Column Vendôme.

The Vendôme Column is a Parisian monument located on Place Vendôme, in the first district of the city. Over the years it has also been named Austerlitz Column. It was erected by order of Napoleon Bonaparte, to celebrate his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. It can be reached from the Madeleine, Tuileries and Opéra metro stations.

Description

It was made between the 18th and 19th centuries. It has a height of 44 meters and an average diameter of 3.60. It is surmounted by a statue of Napoleon I dressed as a Roman general, sculpted by Auguste Dumont, and commissioned by Napoleon's nephew, Napoleon III. It is lined with a sheet cast with bronze from the cannons seized by the French from the enemy in the Battle of Austerlitz, decorated with bas-reliefs depicting war scenes. Various artists participated in its design and decoration. Among the most prominent are: Jean-Joseph Foucou, author of six bas-reliefs, Louis Boizot, Bosio, Lorenzo Bartolini, Claude Ramey, Corbet and Ruxthiel.

An internal staircase allows access to the upper part, where there is a small viewpoint. At its base there is a plate on which you can read in Latin:

NEAPOLIO IMP AVG
MONVMENTVM BELLI GERMANICI
ANNO MDCCCV
TRIMESTRI SPATIO DVCTV SVO PROFLIGATI
EX AERE CAPT
GLORIAE EXERCITVS MAXIMI DICAVIT

The text means: "Napoleon Emperor Augustus dedicated to the glory of the Great Army this column formed with the bronze taken from the enemy during the war in Germany, won under his orders in 1805 in the space of three months&# 3. 4;.

The column replaced an effigy of the Republic, which in turn had replaced an equestrian statue of Louis XIV.

Its design is inspired by Trajan's Column, except that this monument, located in Rome, is entirely made of marble. In Paris there are other similar monuments such as the July Column, in the Place de la Bastille.

History

In the events of the Commune of 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, the column was demolished, because it was considered a monument to barbarism, militarism, as well as a denial of international law. The painter Gustave Courbet, who had been appointed President of the Fine Arts Commission, was held responsible for the events. He was sentenced to six months in jail, in addition to paying the costs of his repair. This sentence plunged him into ruin and caused him to flee to Switzerland for fear of being imprisoned again. Shortly after the commune, the column was restored and remains so to this day.

Destruction of the Vendôme Column in the time of the Paris Commune.