Paris in the 18th century was the second-largest city in Europe, after London, with a population of about , people. Paris witnessed the end of the reign of Louis XIV , was the center stage of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution , saw the first manned flight, and was the birthplace of high fashion and the modern restaurant and bistro.
Louis XIV distrusted the Parisians; when he was young he had been forced to flee the city twice, and he did not forget it. He moved his residence from the Tuileries Palace to the Palace of Versailles in , and moved his entire court to Versailles in But while he disliked the Parisians, he wanted Paris to be a monument to his glory; he declared in that he wished to "do for Paris what Augustus had done for Rome.
During his reign, Louis XIV spent more than million livres for new buildings, of which ten percent was spent in Paris; ten million for rebuilding the Louvre and the Tuileries; 3. Several new churches were also begun during the reign of Louis XIV, but not finished until well into the 18th century; these included the Church of Saint-Sulpice , whose cornerstone was laid by the Queen, Anne of Austria, in , but not finished until ; the Church of Saint-Roch , begun in and finished in ; the church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet — ; and the church of Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin — Louis XIV also made a dramatic change to the borders of the city; he decided that Paris was now secure from any enemy attack, and had the old ring of walls and fortifications demolished.
The old city gates were replaced by ceremonial arches, celebrating his victories; the Porte Saint-Denis and Porte Saint-Martin The walls were pulled down and replaced by wide boulevards, which in the 18th century became the most popular promenades for Parisians.
The administration of the city was complicated and deliberately divided, designed to keep the city tightly under royal authority. The position of Governor of Paris, held by a duke, was purely ceremonial, as was the position of the Provost of Paris, earlier held by a leading merchant, but in the early 18th century by a nobleman.
