[Illustration: THE PLACE ROYALE IN 1765 THE INAUGURATION OF THE STATUE OF "LOUIS LE BIENAIMÉ." _August 20, 1765; engraving by Varin. The original statue (by Pigalle) is in the middle of the Square._] =The Place Royale= The Place Royale, which had previously suffered severely on September 19-22, 1914, was completely destroyed by fire, with the exception of the modern buildings of the Société Générale Bank, during the bombardment of April 8-15, 1918. [Illustration: THE PLACE ROYALE IN 1918 _The plinth of the statue was protected by masonry-work._] Commenced in 1756, from plans by the architect Legendre, it formed an oblong, of severe and imposing appearance, at the cross-ways of the four main streets of the City. In order to carry out Legendre's plans, forty-nine houses had to be acquired and pulled down. The Square remained unfinished, only three of its sides being built. The Louis XV.-XVI. transition style houses were of uniform construction, and were remarkable for their arcades and eaveless roofs, around which latter ran a balustrade. The central house (formerly the _Hôtel des Fermes_) had a Doric front with a statue of Mercury surrounded by children arranging bales or carrying grapes to the wine-press. A =statue of Louis XV.=, in the middle of the Square, was protected from the bombardments by masonry-work (_photos, p. 78 and below_). The monarch is represented in a Roman mantle and laurel wreath. On either side of the pedestal are two allegorical bronze figures. One, a woman, holding a helm with one hand and leading a lion with the other, symbolizes _gentleness of Government_; the other, a contented man resting in the midst of abundance, represents _the happiness of nations_. The wolf and the lamb sleeping side by side at their feet are symbolical of the Golden Age. [Illustration: STATUE OF LOUIS XV., PLACE ROYALE, WITH PARTIALLY BUILT PROTECTING WALL OF MASONRY _The two allegorical figures are supposed to be likenesses of the Sculptor Pigalle and his wife._] The monument, inaugurated in 1765, is the work of Pigalle, but the two allegorical figures, which are supposed to be portraits of the sculptor and his wife, alone are original. The original statue of Louis XV. was removed at the time of the Revolution (August 15, 1792), and sent to the foundry. It was first replaced by a pyramid surmounted by a "Fame," in memory of the defenders of the _Patrie_, then by a plaster Goddess of Liberty, and in 1803 by a trophy of arms and flags. The present statue, erected under Louis XVIII. (1818), is due to the sculptor Cartellier, and is an exact replica of the original one. It was on the steps of the monument that the Conventionist Ruhl smashed the Sacred Ampulla under the Revolution. _From the Place Royale, return to the Market Square, cross over to the Rue de Tambour (parallel with the Rue Colbert)._