Mars Gate

You are now standing in front of the largest known arch in the Roman Empire. You wouldn’t expect to find it in this city, would you? Well, Reims has over 2,000 years of history, and in Roman times, it was known as Durocortorum. Legend even has it that the city was founded by Remus, the brother of the creator of ancient Rome, Romulus. A prosperous city in ancient times, it was one of the most populous in northern France, and one of the most important in ancient Rome. The Mars Gate is a fascinating vestige of this period, and the only gate still standing in the city. There were initially 4 of them. No one knows exactly when they were built but, it is presumed it was around the second or the third century. The gate stands 33 metres long and 12 metres high at the end of the Reims Promenade. In the 4th century, it was incorporated into the city walls, then in the 13th century, into the newly-built Archbishops’ Castle. This explains why it is so well preserved today. The palace was destroyed in 1595, but the gate remained standing and it was still part of the fortifications. It was officially cleared in 1844, when in turn it was decided to demolish the city walls. It was immediately listed as a Historic Monument, thanks to Prosper Mérimée, and was thus restored and protected. You have to imagine that, in those days, carriages passed through the large central archway, while the two side archways were for pedestrians. As a result of its long history, the monument is quite damaged except for the vaults, where the original decorations can still be seen. If you stand under the arches and look up, you’ll see two main features. The first, a medallion depicting Remus and Romulus being suckled by a she-wolf, or Leda who was seduced by Jupiter and transformed into a swan. The second is an agricultural calendar showing each of the city’s activities according to the month, including two that are still widely practised today, that is, growing cereals and vines. Feel free to wander around this monument to admire its various decorations. It may not be as widely known as the cathedral, but it’s definitely worth your time, as it reflects the true greatness of the city of Reims in ancient times!