The Mars Gate

Since the Classical period, the northern entrance to Reims was marked by a monumental arch: the Mars Gate. Studied by historians for a thousand years and restored over the course of the last two centuries, this monument now symbolises the ancient history of the city formerly known as Durocortorum.

Around the mid-3rd century, “monumental arches” were built on the two major urban thoroughfares which met at the town centre: the north-south road, cardo maximus, and the east-west road, decumanus maximus. These arches marked the borders of the city centre.

The role as access points was primarily symbolic, becoming more practical in the 4^th century amidst fears of “barbarian invasions.” At the time, Durocortorum decided to embark upon the construction of a wall that would enclose the city in new fortifications, reducing its size. The four arches were incorporated into this new wall and turned into gates.

The monumental arch was left barely visible after the Roman walls were absorbed into the medieval fortifications surrounding the “Mars Gate Castle,” the new seat of the archbishops.

The gate was rediscovered little by little, starting with the destruction of the castle in 1595. It was not until the 19th century, however, that the gate was isolated from the ramparts. The structure had attracted the interest of scholars, and the arch was added to France’s first list of protected monuments, the “Monuments Historiques,” in 1840. Architect Narcisse Brunette (1808-1895) launched a major restoration project. This allowed for the northern façade to be brought out into the open by 1844-45. He reconstructed and reassembled the greatly deteriorated western side, basing his work on the better-preserved sections. 

The demolition of the ramparts, which began in 1848, allowed for the lateral façades to be revealed around 1852-1853. In 1856, the architect Millet successfully liberated the structure, clearing the southern façade and carving out the arches. His restorations were neutral, unlike those of Brunette, which were made to be visible while respecting lines and volumes, in rubble instead of ashlar.

Illustrations:

• Porte de Mars - BMR - B514546101_XXVIII_I_1_01_BMR20_001
• Porte de Mars à Rheims, lithography by Adrien Dauzats, 1844 © BM Reims
• Vue de l'arc de triomphe Romain dessiné d'après nature (”View of the Roman Arc de Triomphe taken from life”), lithography by Auguste Deroy taken from La France en miniature, cerca 1860 © BM Reims

The restoration of the Porte de Mars began in 2015, under the direction of the City of Reims and in collaboration with the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (DRAC).

In 2015-2018, studies and work were carried out under the supervision of François CHATILLON, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments (ACMH):   covering roofing, gutters, rainwater drainage and the restoration of the ashlar architrave.

Between 2017 and 2022, new research works were carried out by Charlotte HUBERT (ACMH) in order to plan the restoration of the monument’s foundations and an architectural analysis. In 2020, a “stone for stone” scale model of the monument was made using 3D scans (lasergrammetry) and photo alignment (photogrammetry). This new archaeological data and methods enabled the works required to preserve the facings and ornamentation on the façades and vaults.

The project was launched in December 2022 and took a period of 18 months. The restoration choices were informed by the findings of the scientific committee based on the archaeological study and expert advice.

Both the northern and southern facades (the southern facade within the ramparts being in much poorer condition than the northern facade) were preserved using different methods.

The preserved classical remains were emphasised and the structural lines of the Ancient Roman monument were revealed. The gradual repairs that had been carried out since the 19th century using rubble (smaller and more ordinary pieces of stone) had to be covered with a lime coating of a colour similar to the ancient stone blocks, in order to better restore the surviving Roman parts. All modern, sculpted, ancient or noteworthy aspects of the masonry were cleaned and restored.

On the northern façade, the ancient capitals were completed using grafts based on surviving testimonials. The roughly sculpted or rubble capitals were replaced by a model inspired by the restoration carried out by architect Narcisse Brunette (on the right of the façade) and the surviving elements.

On the south side, the capitals of inferior quality have been replaced by contemporary fluted capitals, restoring only the original volume. Some of the rubble on the column shafts has been replaced with new stone, cut and fluted to match the existing stonework.

This restoration was possible thanks to the donations of the project’s many sponsors.

Illustrations:

• Photos of the restoration site

• Damaged ancient capitals / Restored by grafts inspired by Narcisse Brunette’s capital designs
• Roughly-cut or rubble capitals / Replaced by capitals modelled on those designed by Narcisse Brunette
• Section completed by Narcisse Brunette in 1845. Cleaned and restored in a 19th-century style.
• Architrave completed during the 2015-2017 works, with watertight lead roofing and rain gutters

• Modified rubble sections from various restorations / Lime rendering applied to rubble sections
• Eastern capitals on the southern facade - before and after restoration.
• Capitals from various restorations in poor condition / Capitals replaced by roughly cut capitals restoring the basic shape alone and following the model of the eastern capitals on the southern facade.

Restored ancient sections with original masonry or carvings

The undersides of the arches have been managed similarly to the northern facade, with the rubble stones protruding too far from the sculpted remains removed. The entire surface of the rubble elements (removed or not) has been plastered, so that the ancient remains can be clearly seen, particularly on the elevations.