Porte De Mars
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Porte de Mars (Gate of Mars) is an ancient Roman
triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...
in
Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
, France. It dates from the third century AD, and was the widest arch in the Roman world.


The Arch

The monumental Mars Gate dates from the first part of the 3rd century and is the only remaining of four gates that gave access to the Gallo-Roman town known as Durocortorum. The arch stands 32 metres long and 13 metres high, with three wide arched openings. It was named after a nearby temple to
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...
. The arch has many highly detailed carvings on its exterior and on the ceilings of its three passageways, including Romulus and Remus, farm workers, and Leda and the swan. Local folklore says that the inhabitants of Reims built the arch in gratitude when the Romans brought major roads through their city. It became part of the castle of the archbishops in 1228, which was destroyed in 1595, leaving the arch, with the openings blocked, part of the city walls. Rediscovered in 1667, it was not fully revealed until the dismantling of the city walls in 1844–54.


Gallery

Image:Porte Mars 03.jpg Image:Porte Mars 07.jpg Image:Porte Mars 11.jpg Image:Porte Mars 09.jpg Image:Porte Mars 10.jpg Image:Porte Mars 06.jpg Image:Porte Mars 12.jpg Image:Porte Mars 13.jpg File:Porte_Mars_Arch,_Reims,_France_02.jpg File:Porte_Mars_Arch,_Reims,_France_03.jpg


References

Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd century Ancient Roman triumphal arches Buildings and structures in Reims Tourist attractions in Marne (department) History of Reims {{France-struct-stub