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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Paris Gate is a symbolic construction erected in the second half of the 18th century at Moulins, in the Allier. It consists of two monumental stone columns, placed on both sides of the rue de Paris, to mark the entrance to the city. These columns replace an unfinished urban enclosure project, abandoned after the extension of the suburbs in the seventeenth century. Originally, two towers were to frame the road, but only the base of the West Tower remains today.

Commanded by Jacques de Flesselles, intendant of the generality of Moulins, construction began in July 1764 under the direction of mason Martin. The rue de Paris, a major axis linking Paris to Lyon (later the route of the national road 7), then concentrates private hotels, convents and inns. The Eastern column is joined to the Hotel Heron, home of the Marshal of Villars (1653-1734), illustrating the strategic and social importance of this place.

The Paris Gate becomes a place of official ceremonies. In 1771, Princess Marie-Joséphine de Savoie, the future wife of the Count of Provence (Louis XVIII), was solemnly escorted to Versailles. Two years later, his sister Marie-Thérèse, destined for the Count of Artois (Charles X), enjoyed the same honours. During the Revolution, the coat of arms of the pilasters were destroyed in 1793-1794, erasing the monarchic symbols.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, adjacent facades were used as support for advertising panels, reflecting changes in urban usage. The gate was finally listed as historic monuments on December 9, 1929, recognizing its heritage value. Today, it remains an architectural witness to the urban ambitions of Moulins under the Ancien Régime.

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