Since 1840, the July Column has stood in the center of Place de la Bastille in Paris. It commemorates the “Three Glorious Days”, the three days of the July Revolution of 1830 that ended the reign of King Charles X and ushered in the July Monarchy.
Louis-Philippe Ist, who became “King of the French people”, commissioned the architect Jean-Antoine Alavoine to build it. Inspired by Trajan’s Column in Rome and 50 metres high, it was erected in 1835 on the site of the former fortress of the Bastille, whose destruction was a symbol of the Revolution of 1789. Its base is in fact the one of the elephant-shaped fountain that was originally planned by Emperor Napoleon 1st above the waters of the Ourcq canal. Gavroche, the street urchin in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables, lives in the life-size model of this wooden and plaster pachyderm.
The names of the 504 victims of the events of 27, 28 and 29 July 1830 are engraved in gold letters on the shaft of this Corinthian column. Their remains were transferred with great fanfare in 1840 to the crypt of the monument when it was inaugurated to the sound of a symphony composed by Hector Berlioz for the occasion. The necropolis is also home to around 200 victims of the 1848 Revolution. Symbol par excellence of the Parisian revolutions of the 19th century, it was at the foot of this column that, ironically, King Louis-Philippe’s throne was burnt in 1848, bringing the end of the Monarchy in France.
At the top of the column shines the gilded bronze sculpture of the Genius of Liberty. Created in 1836 by Auguste Dumont, this allegory of liberty breaks with the tradition of a female representation wearing a Phrygian cap. Measuring 4 metres tall, this athletically naked male genius is about to spread his wings and take to the skies. Crowned with a star, a symbol of light, he carries in his hands the torch of civilisation and the broken chains of despotism.
The decorative elements of the Column were entrusted to the architect Joseph-Louis Duc. It features the coat of arms of the city of Paris with its unsinkable nave, palms to honour the martyrs of the Revolution and symbols of eternity such as oak branches and immortal wreaths.
The circular medallions on the base represent symbolic elements of the July Monarchy regime, such as the principle of constitutional monarchy (Charter of 1830) or the decorative Order created by Louis-Philippe (July Cross). An important symbol of the July Column is the scale: it has been the attribute of the Greek goddess Themis since Antiquity, and therefore the emblem of justice. The scales are a symbol of fairness between conflicting parties in the legal system, as well as a symbol of balance and proportion in society.
The bronze base of the Column is decorated at the corners with Gallic cockerels, a symbol of France since ancient times. As well as the cockerel, there are several instances of the lion on the Column. In particular, the lion in relief on the plinth, by the great 19th-century animal sculptor Auguste-Louis Barye, is both a symbol of strength and a reference to the astrological sign for the month of July.
Listed as a historic monument since 1995, the Colonne de Juillet‘s location, history and decoration make it a timeless symbol of the Republic and Liberty…and of our Bastille Day Newsletter!
