Arc de Triomphe

/annrddk deuh trddee awonnf"/

an arch, located in Paris, begun in 1806 by Napoleon in honor of his victorious armies and completed in 1836. The unknown soldier of France and the eternal flame were placed beneath the arch after World War I.

Also, Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile /annrddk deuh trddee awonnf" deuh lay twannl"/.

[ < F: arch of triumph]

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Largest triumphal arch in the world.

A masterpiece of Romantic Classicism, it is one of the best-known monuments of Paris. It stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, at the western terminus of the Champs-Élysées. Initiated by Napoleon, designed by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin, and constructed in 1806–36, the monument is 164 ft (50 m) high and 148 ft (45 m) wide. Decorative relief sculptures celebrating Napoleon's victorious military campaigns were executed on the arch by François Rude, Jean-Pierre Cortot, and Antoine Etex.

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▪ arch, Paris, France

in full  Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile 

 the largest triumphal arch in the world, and one of the best-known commemorative monuments of Paris, France. The arch stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the Place de l'Étoile), which is the western terminus of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The arch is 164 feet (50 metres) high and 148 feet (45 metres) wide. It was initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte and was designed by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin (Chalgrin, Jean-François-Thérèse). Construction of the arch began in 1806, though work was not completed until 1836. Decorative relief sculptures celebrating Napoleon's victorious military campaigns were executed on the arch by François Rude, Jean-Pierre Cortot, and Antoine Etex. Beneath the arch lies France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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