Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra, referred to by locals as the Porta, is a large Roman city gate in Trier [1]. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved [1]. The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone after 170 AD [1]. In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city [1]. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists [1]. After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra [1]. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him [1]. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form [1].