Illustration on the base of the obelisk, showing how it was raised into place in 1836
Hieroglyphs on the obelisk.
Hieroglyphs on the upper obelisk. The Pharaoh on his throne is portrayed at the top
The centrepiece of the Place de la Concorde is an ancient Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramesses II. It is one of two which the Egyptian government gave to the French in the 19th century. The other one stayed in Egypt, too difficult and heavy to move to France with the technology at that time. On 26 September 1981 President François Mitterrand formally returned the title of the second obelisk to Egypt.[16]
The obelisk once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple. The wali of Egypt, or hereditary governor, Muhammad Ali Pasha, offered the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk as a diplomatic gift to France in 1829. It arrived in Paris on 21 December 1833. Three years later, it was hoisted into place, on top of the pedestal which originally supported the statue of Louis XV, destroyed during the Revolution. The raising of the column was a major feat of engineering, depicted by illustrations on the base of the monument. King Louis Philippe dedicated the obelisk on 25 October 1836.[17]
The obelisk, a yellow granite column, rises 23 metres (75 ft) high, including the base, and weighs over 250 tonnes (280 short tons). Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat – on the pedestal are drawn diagrams explaining the machinery that was used for the transportation. The government of France added a gold-leafed pyramidal cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998, replacing the missing original, believed stolen in the 6th century BC.[18]
You may know Paris for its cathedral Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, its café culture and its amazing museums and art galleries. The French capital is also famous for its fantastic perspective that runs from the Louvre to La Défense. This is the ‘Voie Triomphale’, aka the Historical Axis of Paris.
This line is one of the most prestigious perspectives in the world. In fact, its design has inspired cities such as Buenos Aires, Washington DC, New Delhi and Canberra. In this article, we’ll learn more about the Historical Axis of Paris. We’ll discover the stunning monuments and I reveal to you some stunning facts.
More than just a series of monuments placed along the axis, it seems that a complex symbolism was at work in the mind of the successive urban planners.
The Historical Axis runs through some of Paris’ most celebrated monuments and squares:
The Louvre: the Glass Pyramid, the equestrian statue of Louis XIV portrayed as ‘Alexander the Great’ in the Cour Napoléon, and the Inverted Pyramid.
The Seine-Arche project endeavours to push the axis beyond La Défense, to the Seine.
Let’s move along the Historical Axis of Paris, from East to West, starting from the Louvre.
The Palace of the Louvre
Today the great perspective starts at the Louvre, immediately beyond the Church of St Germain l’Auxerrois.
The crab-shaped Palace was the main residence of the kings of France until 1682, when Louis XIV, the ‘Sun King’, moved his court to Versailles. It currently houses one of the world’s most wonderful museums in a complex that is known as the “Grand Louvre”.
President François Mitterrand left his mark with his pharaonic project of “Le Grand Louvre”. He wished to complete it for the bicentennial celebration of the French Revolution in 1989. The titanic project comprised of major renovation works and the construction of a new landmark along the Historical Axis: the celebrated (and controversial) Glass Pyramid.
But if you look closer, you’ll notice that the glass pyramid is not aligned with the other monuments on the Historical Axis.
That’s why something had to be added in this vast courtyard of the Louvre…
The lunar phase on Friday, April 25, 1969 was a Waxing Gibbous. At 11:00pm ET, the face of the moon was 63% illuminated, 8.6 days old, and 29% of the way through the lunar cycle.
During the Waxing Gibbous phase, the moon is more than halfway illuminated. The moon will continue to grow with each passing night.
Check out our interactive lunar calendar or enter a date below to see the moon phase on your birthday, anniversary, or other special date in history or the future.
The Moon phase on Wednesday, December 31, 1997 is Waxing Crescent with an illumination of 7.18%. This indicates the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. On Wednesday, December 31, 1997, the Moon is 2.55 days old. This number shows how many days have passed since the last New Moon.
Moon phase details at Wednesday, December 31, 1997
Moon Phase details
Phase
???? Waxing Crescent
Horoscope
♑ Capricorn
Illumination
7.18% Visible
Rise/Set
8:24 AM / 9:59 PM
Moon Age
2.55 Days
Moon Angular
30.81º
Moon Distance
370,378.60 km
Frequently Asked Questions
On Wednesday, December 31, 1997, the Moon is in the Waxing Crescent phase with 7.18% illumination, is 2.55 days old, and located in the Capricorn (♑) constellation. Data from phasesmoon.com.
The Moon's illumination on Wednesday, December 31, 1997 is 7.18%, according to phasesmoon.com.
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The Moon phase on Wednesday, December 31, 1997 is Waxing Crescent with an illumination of 7.18%. This indicates the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. On Wednesday, December 31, 1997, the Moon is 2.55 days old. This number shows how many days have passed since the last New Moon.
AVERAGE MOON RISE
