La Porte d’Aix in Marseille

The Roman tradition of triumphal arches

Triumphal arches are originally a Roman tradition. It is a monumental free-standing structure that spans a road and uses the architectural form of an arch with one or more vaulted passages.

A monumental arch built in Rome was used for purification after a victorious war. It was thus intended to commemorate victorious combatants or to celebrate important events (death of a member of the imperial family, accession to the throne of a new emperor, construction of a road, etc.).

Other imperial cities also had triumphal arches during Antiquity, including Orange in the South of France. In France, the most famous monumental arch is probably the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, located at the top of the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

A monumental arch in the ancient style

La Porte d’Aix was inspired by the Arch of Titus, built in Rome in 84 AD. Its dimensions are monumental, with a height of 18 metres. On the facades and sides, one can see representations of the battles of Austerlitz, Fleurus and Heliopolis. The arch has evolved over time, particularly in terms of its statues. The statues, which are almost three metres high, were made of stone, a crumbly material, and eventually collapsed on the public highway in 1937. The Parisian sculptor Marneuf was commissioned to create the ornamental sculpture of the triumphal arch on the Place Jules-Guesde. He was inspired by the decoration of the ancient triumphal arch of Orange. In 1982, the arch was classified as a historical monument.