Squares

Place Royale

Reims

Place Royale is a square in Reims whose layout measures 33 by 38 toises according to the dimensions of the period. It occupies a site linked to the Roman forum of Durocorturum and follows the main Roman axes, Cardo and Decumanus. The square was later closed off by houses and gardens belonging to the Notre-Dame chapter, known as the Grand Credo, before a project to pierce the area was approved in 1750.

The square is bordered by constructions with the orderly architecture typical of royal squares. At its center stands a monument dedicated to Louis XV. The original royal statue, created by Pigalle, was destroyed during the Revolution and replaced in 1818 by a bronze by Pierre Cartellier representing the king as a Roman emperor. Pigalle’s sculpted pedestal artworks have been preserved. The square remained unfinished until 1910, and later rebuilding after World War I left only the original facades of the bordering hotels. The entire square, including the monument and ground, is registered as a historic monument.

Map showing the location of Place Royale in Reims
Location of Place Royale in Reims

Nearby Objects

Architecture and Monumental History

Place Royale measures 33 toises by 38, according to the dimensions used at the time. It is organized around a central monument dedicated to Louis XV, originally created by the sculptor Pigalle. The royal statue was destroyed during the Revolution, and in 1818 it was replaced by a bronze by Pierre Cartellier showing the king as a Roman emperor. Pigalle's sculpture pedestal works were preserved.

The square is bordered by buildings with the orderly architecture typical of royal squares, but it remained unfinished until 1910, when the Societe Generale built a structure on the southwest side. After World War I, the hotels that bordered the square retained only their original facades after destruction, and later additions disrupted the appearance of the upper parts. The entire square, including the monument and the ground, is registered as a historic monument.

Place Royale also continues to have public functions. One of the four sub-prefectures of the Marne department is located there, in the former Hotel des Fermes. The left side of that building was occupied from 1884 by the Dewachter freres clothing store.

Roman Origins and Eighteenth Century Redevelopment

The current square occupies a site that was once part of the Roman forum of Durocorturum, and its layout still follows the main Roman axes, the Cardo and Decumanus. Over time, the area became closed off by houses with gardens owned by the Notre-Dame chapter, known as the Grand Credo. This property belonged to the Saint-Michel parish, where many canons lived.

In the mid eighteenth century, the district was seen as difficult to cross. Louis-Jean Levesque de Pouilly, who served as lieutenant of the inhabitants from 1746 to 1751, proposed piercing the Grand Credo after Marie Leszczynska's carriage was unable to pass through the city. The surrounding streets were described as winding alleys less than ten feet wide, with streams carrying waste along them, while houses projected into the passage and pedestrians had trouble crossing.

The municipal council approved the project by deliberation on May 17, 1750, and M. de Monthelon drew a plan after this approval. In 1751, Trudaine and Henri Louis de Barberie de Saint-Conteste studied improvements to royal roads, while Jean-Francois Rogier and the municipality asked Levesque to survey the city on October 22, 1751. The resulting city plan was then used to petition the king for urban improvements, and the King's Council approved the petition on April 10, 1752.

The square was planned as the crossing point of roads from Paris to the Champagne borders and from Flanders to Burgundy. The project also included three major realignments beyond the Grand Credo district: the destruction of the Ferrons gate and the restructuring of the wheat and cloth market squares with a new perspective toward the Town Hall; the straightening and widening of the present rue de Talleyrand, then rue Chanzy, for convenience; and the widening of rue Rockefeller to facilitate the king's arrival at the cathedral for the coronation. A Council of State decree of August 23, 1752, ordered construction of a square measuring 28 by 40 toises, linked to a street 370 toises long. The king contributed financial aid to carry out the works, and petitions and memoranda debated the centrality of the Couture square and Ferrons gate before construction began.

Planning and Construction of Place Royale

The project to establish a Place Royale in the Grand Credo district of Reims became the subject of a dispute involving the archbishop, who wrote against it, and M. de la Salle de l'Etang, who answered this opposition in a precise document for the Officers of Reims. The discussion also involved the chapter, the Lieutenants, Gens du Conseil, and the aldermen of Reims. The conflict reached trial, and the Council of State dismissed the archbishop and the chapter by a ruling of 24 September 1750.

Work began on 11 March 1752 under the lieutenancy of Henri Coquebert. The works were carried out by the director of Bridges and Roads Trudaine and by the architect Jean-Gabriel Legendre, the king's engineer. Legendre was assigned to Champagne province in 1754 and lived in the house of canon Camus until the project was finished on 12 September 1769. The works cost 911065 livres and were not fully concluded at completion.

The design included houses erected to form the perspective toward the city hall. Trudaine also proposed to the chapter the construction of a communal house for a tax office, which became the current Sub-prefecture of Reims.

The Tax Office Building at Place Royale

The tax office building at Place Royale has been registered as a historic monument since 17 May 1929. According to the historical record, the building housed the Customs, Taxes, the receiver's lodgings, the controller, the customs inspector, the director, and the tax receiver. The Council of State and the City Council agreed that the costs of elevating the facade would be paid by the city, which would also pay rent. Work on the building began on 2 May 1773 and was completed on 27 July 1777. The final cost was 29,815 livres, compared with an anticipated cost of 25,000 livres. The building was later sold to M. Henriot on 21 October 1797 for 29,595 livres.

Historical Sculptures and Works on Place Royale

The Historique of Place Royale records several sculptural and urban features connected with its development. It notes the Monument a Louis XV, inaugurated as a work by Jean Baptiste Sutaine and Pigalle, and describes the top statue of Louis XV as a Roman emperor by Pierre Cartellier. The monument also featured La Loi dominant la Force by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, while Le Citoyen, or Le Commerce, is identified as a self-portrait of Pigalle. Other works from the same era included Le Genie du Commerce and La Raison maitrisant la Force. The Historique also shows a drawing of a lost statue related to the project. Beyond the sculptures, it records that the pavement was made in 1766, and that the square was illuminated by twenty lanterns in 1763. Work on the west side of the square lasted 19 years and continued until 1788, indicating a long and extended period of construction and completion.

Transformations of Place Royale

The site known as Historique underwent a series of changes before becoming Place Royale. On a council session, Pierre Jacotin requested the removal of the statue, and it was toppled at about 2 PM in the presence of procureur Couplet dit Beaucourt. The bronze from the statue was then sent to the Metz foundry to make cannons. In its place, a pyramid was erected to inscribe the names of citizens fallen at Valmy on 23 Thermidor year I. This pyramid was later replaced by a trophy with two inscriptions on 22 Thermidor year XI, during the passage of the First Consul. A cube supporting a sky blue globe was also erected in Historique during the passage of Marie-Louise on a specified date. The place was renamed place imperiale since 1803.

The current monument began with the laying of the first stone using Italian marbles intended for Marshal Lannes monument, which had been blocked in Reims since 1814. It features a new statue of Louis XV by Pierre Cartellier and allegories by Pigalle. The monument was inaugurated with a grand celebration and was surrounded by a grille. Since 1830, municipal deliberations repeatedly questioned the place of the king's statue and proposed replacing it with Colbert's statue multiple times.

Historic Uses and Later Urban Changes

In 1842, Historique was used as the reference point for renumbering houses in the city. House numbers begin closer to Historique, with even numbers on the right side and odd numbers on the left side from it. At that time, the area also served as a gathering place for laborers hoping to find employment, and it was the location of the flower market. Around 1910, the architecture of Historique was unified with the construction of the last building on the southwest corner by Societe Generale. The site was paved again and parking was banned to improve its aesthetic harmony. Around the same period, the grille protecting the Louis XV monument was removed, allowing homeless people to sit on the steps, which was reflected in the local nickname given by the people of Reims, who called them les Louis XV.