Originally a closed garden belonging to Henri IV, this ‘Belle Cour’ (beautiful courtyard) became the Place Royale under Louis XIII. Louis XIV had a bronze statue of himself erected there. As a symbol of royalty, the square suffered extensive damage during the French Revolution. Today, a new equestrian statue of Louis XIV stands at its centre, created in 1828 by François-Frédéric Lemot, a sculptor from Lyon.
