Marie-Antoinette obelisk, Historic obelisk in Fontainebleau, France
The Marie-Antoinette obelisk is a stone monument rising 21 meters high at a road crossing in Fontainebleau where paths to Moret, Bourron, Ury and Nemours meet. This four-sided structure stands alone at its location and can be seen from a distance.
The obelisk was built in 1785 under architect Pierre Rousseau and financed using money that was originally meant for renovations at the Château de Fontainebleau. This shift in funding shows how royal projects could be redirected during this time.
The stone structure carries inscriptions honoring Queen Marie-Antoinette and her children, which were removed during the Revolution and later restored in 1864. These carved words show how people tried to preserve the memory of a fallen royal family.
The monument sits at Carrefour de l'Obélisque, roughly 850 meters from the Château de Fontainebleau, and stays open year-round. Its location at a road crossing makes it easy to find and you can view it from all angles.
In 1792, revolutionaries placed a tin Phrygian cap on top as a symbol of freedom, which was later replaced by Napoleon's imperial eagle in 1805. These two symbols marked different political eras in France's history.
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