The letter "N," surrounded by a garland can be found on the Saint Michel Bridge and on the Paris Opera House (Garnier). Since Napoleon was dead for years before these were constructed, I question whether they represent a salute to him. Does anyone know what this "N" means?

The Palais Garnier was designed as part of the great Parisian reconstruction of the Second Empire initiated by Emperor Napoleon III.
Palais Garnier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_Garnier)


A Napoleon was responsible for it, just not the one most people think of when you hear the name.