PORTA SEMPIONE

Description

Essentials about Porta Sempione in brief

Porta Sempione (also called “Arco della Pace” – “Arch of Peace”) marks the northeastern entrance to Parco Sempione. The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most important neoclassical buildings in Milan. Whoever walks in the beautiful Parco Sempione should therefore definitely make a detour to Porta Sempione.

The history of Porta Sempione

As early as 1806, a wooden honorary arch had been erected for the entry of Eugène de Beauharnais, Napoleon’s viceroy. A year later, the construction of a stone triumphal arch was started, but the construction work lasted until 1838. The reason for this was that the course of history progressed faster than the construction work. Originally, the 25-meter high triumphal arch was to commemorate the glory of Napoleon.

After the end of Napoleon’s Italian kingdom, work was initially halted and only resumed in 1826 under the Austrian Emperor Franz I. This time, however, the arch was intended to commemorate the peace of 1815 after the end of the Napoleonic Wars (hence its current name).

The architecture of Porta Sempione

Designed by Italian architect Luigi Cagnola, the 25-meter-high structure was conceived in the neoclassical style, modeled on Roman triumphal arches, such as the Arch of Constantine and the Arch of Septimius Severus in Rome. The arch itself is made of granite, the ornamentation is made of marble. On the architrave stands a bronze sculpture of the goddess of peace on a chariot drawn by six horses. It is flanked by four riding goddesses of victory. On the stone beams are the personifications of the four great rivers of Lombardy and Veneto (Po, Ticino, Adige and Tagliamento). Numerous marble reliefs on Porta Sempione represent events from the wars of liberation of 1813/14.