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| Porte de la Conférence (1656) |
English Translation
"The Porte de la Conférence marked the western boundary of Paris until the eve of the French Revolution. In 1593, during the siege of Paris by Henri IV, now a Huguenot, the League used this exit to go to Suresnes to negotiate with the king's representatives. Following this conference, the monarch definitively renounced Protestantism: “Paris is well worth a mass!". With peace restored, Marie de’ Médicis had the quay landscaped and renamed “Cours-la-Reyne”. During the Fronde in 1649, Anne of Austria fled from the Louvre through this gate with 11-year-old Louis XIV, taking refuge in St Germain-en-Laye. When the Wall of the Farmers-General was built in 1785, part of Chaillot became part of Paris, and the gate was moved downstream towards Passy, where Rue Beethoven now stands. Today, the Quai de la Conférence at the foot of the Pont de l’Alma reminds Parisians of the conversion of its most popular king." (Translated by DeepL and ChatGPT)
Background notes
- The Porte de la Conférence was a gate in the city walls of Paris, specifically part of the Enceinte de Louis XIII, the fortifications built around Paris during the reign of Louis XIII (1610-1643). This gate marked the western boundary of Paris until the eve of the French Revolution.
- Henri IV was born a Protestant (a Huguenot) and raised in the faith. He took a leadership role in the French Protestant movement amid severe persecution by the Catholic majority.
- The Siege of Paris (1590) was a significant event during the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598), where King Henri IV (king of France from 1589 to 1610) sought to capture Paris, which was under the control of the Catholic League. The city's population suffered greatly due to famine during the siege.
- In the aftermath of the siege, representatives of the Catholic League used the Porte de la Conférence to exit the city and travel to Suresnes (about 9 km west of Paris). There, they engaged in negotiations with Henri IV's envoys. These discussions were pivotal, leading to Henri's decision to convert to Catholicism, which facilitated his acceptance as king by the predominantly Catholic population. The Porte de la Conférence is named in reference to these negotiations or Conference.
- The phrase "Paris is well worth a mass!" signifies Henri's final pragmatic decision to convert to Catholicism to secure his rule over France and end the religious wars.
- Marie de' Medici (1575-1642), who redeveloped the quay (Cours-la-Reyne) after peace was restored, was the second wife of King Henri IV (his first wife was Marguerite de Valois) and served as Queen Consort of France and regent for their son, Louis XIII (1601-1643), after Henri's assassination in 1610.
- Anne of Austria (1601-1666), wife of Louis XIII and mother of Louis XIV (1638-1715), served as regent for her young son after Louis XIII died in 1643. During the Fronde, a series of civil wars between 1648 and 1653, Anne fled Paris with the young Louis XIV to St Germain-en-Laye, a royal residence west of Paris, to escape the unrest and ensure their safety.
- The Wall of the Farmers-General (Mur des Fermiers Généraux) was a tax wall built between 1784 and 1791 around Paris (fully demolished by around 1860). Its primary purpose was to enforce taxes on goods entering the city.
- Today, only the Port de la Conférence (on the Quai de la Conférence), a pathway along the Seine, remains between the Pont de l'Alma bridge and the Pont des Invalides.
