A VISIT TO BASTILE MONUMENT OR COLONNE DE JUILLET ( THE JULY COLUMN )
( (A painting depicting Storming of Bastile )Located in the 11th arrondissement ( administrative district ) of Paris, getting to the July Column via public transport is quite easy, as there is a Metro station called the Bastille stop . Metro trains 1, 5 and 8 have a stop at this station. The Bus Lines 24, 29, 57, 61, 63, 67, 69 76, 86, 87 and 91 can also be used to get down close to the monument site. There are many more ways to come to the Bastile monument .We came via Chatelet train junction. The distance between the central train junction of Paris city known as Châtelet les Halles ( pronounced as Shetle ) and Bastille is about 2 km . One can walk it comfortably in 20 minutes or use Metro train 1 or Bus 29 or Bus 69 or Bus N 16 . The bus or the train tickets cost between €1 - €3 . A taxi may charge anything between 15 to 20 Euros from Chatelet train junction .One can also walk about 1 km from Gare de Lyon station to arrive at Bastile Square.
The Colonne de Juillet, or July Column as it is known, is located in the Place de la Bastille Square, which has a rich history from the Bastille fortress to the storming of the Bastille and the French revolution .Constructed in the 14th century ,Bastile was the notorious prison used by the Kings of France . The prison had become a symbol of the monarchy's dictatorial rule. On 14th July, 1789, this state prison was attacked by an angry and aggressive mob. This demolition of Bastille by the crowd marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Storming the Bastille , the fortress was completely demolished and its stone fragments were sold in the markets to all those who wished to keep a souvenir of its destruction. The capture of the Bastille symbolized the end of the ancient regime . It also provided an overwhelming momentum to the French Revolution .
(Bastile Monument with new Opera in the background)Between 1643 and 1793, France was ruled by just three kings. All three were absolute monarchs. They made all the decisions and did not believe in sharing power with a parliament. Further , vast sums of money had been consumed in the name of war, pledged by successive Kings to support battle against its enemies but with little return. The people paid tax after tax to fill up the royal coffers and life for the common man was fraught with difficulty, lack of money, lack of food (additionally there had been bad harvests which led to flour shortages) lack of much comfort on a daily basis. Against this backdrop of misery the royal family continued their gilded existence, seemingly oblivious to the suffering of the ordinary people. Popular myth reports that when the Queen, Marie Antoinette was told of bread shortages in Paris she stated “then let them eat cake” but there is absolutely no proof that this occurred. What is known is that on the 14th July, 1789, a crowd gathered, guns were procured and the baying and growing mob marched to the Bastille to obtain powder for the guns. The Bastille was at the time of its attack a medieval fortress which served as a prison and a warehouse for munitions and powder. In 1792, the monarchy was abolished and in 1793 , Louis and his wife Marie-Antoinette were sent to the guillotine for treason . The agitators also lynched Controller-General of Finances Joseph Foullon de Doué and his son-in-law Louis Bénigne François Bertier de Sauvigny. Both had held official positions under the monarchy.
The first project for one commemorative column, one that would commemorate the Fall of the Bastille, had been envisaged in 1792 .Where once stood the notorious prison space , presently only a memorial exists to commemorate the revolution of 1830 that actually began in 1789 . Today, the square plays host to large cultural events such as concerts, fairs and citizen events, and has many bars and restaurants close by on Rue de la Roquette . The square is also the starting point for a stroll on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, where you can discover courses and picturesque passages: Passage du Chantier, Cour de l'Etoile d'Or, Cour des Trois Frères. The iconic landmark of the district is the new Opéra. Designed by architect Carlos Ott, this marvel of modern architecture with transparent facades was inaugurated on the day of the bicentenary of the French Revolution. The memorial , known as Colonne de Juillet ( The July Column ) , is a steel and bronze column standing 52 meters high and weighing 170 tons. It has an interior spiral staircase, and rests on a base of white marble ornamented with bronze bas-reliefs, of which the lion by Antoine-Louis Barye is the most noted. The top of the Colonne de Juillet is adorned by a gilded statue called the "Genie of Liberty". The Seine canal flows near the monument . Pont de la Bastile bridge is also close to the monument . Entire ground around the monument has been stoned and is being subjected to regular cleaning .It is the work of Durmont. It has a star on its forehead and is carrying a torch in one hand and in the other a broken shackles chain. Inaugurated in 1840, the July Column is the work of Alavoine and Ducs architects. Remembering the dead fighters during the days of 27, 28 and 29 July 1830 – revolution that replaced the Second Restoration by the July Monarchy – the remains of the martyrs who fell during the fighting were placed inside a burial, above which rises that column. The names of men buried are engraved around the monument. Some mummies brought to France from Egypt by Napoleon were also buried at the site. These mummies were decomposing in the Louvre museum . The throne of Louis-Philippe was symbolically burned in this memorial square, in July 1848.
Initially in 1793, a large revolutionary fountain featuring a statue of Isis was built on the former site of the fortress . Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility and was also known as the goddess of motherhood, magic, death, healing, and rebirth. Thereafter, the spot had been occupied by a 14.6 meter tall and 16.2 meter wide wood and plaster model of an elephant. Napoleon desired to replace this elephant with one of bronze, making it a fountain with water spurting from its trunk. However, the Empire collapsed before this could be realised. While the elephant stood, it served as a refuge for street urchins, such as Gavroche in Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables". It was also the home of hordes of rats which infested the neighborhood when the elephant was brought down and replaced with the present bronze monument.
On the northern and southern sides of the base are inscribed the dates of the July Revolution " 27 28 29 Juillet 1830".On another side is written, "À la gloire des citoyens français qui s'armèrent et combattirent pour la défense des libertés publiques dans les mémorables journées des 27, 28, 29 juillet 1830" ("To the glory of the French citizens who armed themselves and fought for the defense of public liberties in the memorable days of 27, 28, 29 July 1830"). Inside the Colonne de Juillet are 238 steps which allowed access to the top of the column. This spiral stairway is, unfortunately, no longer available to the public.
On July 14 , Bastille Day is celebrated in entire France. It is a national public holiday and a day of celebration in France that has been officially held since 1878 and made a lawful holiday since 1880. France and its territories – cities, towns and villages have firework displays at the culmination of the day’s festivities which include official dinners, military parades in Paris and the night before a dance in the square where the Bastille once stood.
( Avtar Mota )
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.
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