Equestrian statue of Napoleon

(Redirected from Statue of Napoleon (Rouen))

The Statue of Napoleon in the Place du Général-de-Gaulle, Rouen, Normandy was erected in 1865. The equestrian statue was sculpted in bronze by Gabriel-Vital Dubray, and its pedestal was designed by Louis Desmarest.[1] It stands in front of the Hôtel de Ville in Rouen.[2]

Equestrian statue of Napoleon
Map
LocationPlace du Général-de-Gaulle, Rouen, Normandy
DesignerLouis Desmarest
Completion date1865

In 1881, during the Third French Republic, the city's administration saw the statue of the emperor as contrary to their values. There were plans to melt it into a new statue of an effigy of the republic, or to remove the man and leave only the horse; these plans did not come to fruition due to lack of funds.[3]

In June 2020, the statue was taken down for repairs. Fractures in the hoof of the horse meant that it could have fallen down.[4] A treasure chest of bronze, silver and gold coins of Napoleon III – Napoleon's nephew and reigning emperor at the time of inauguration – was found inside the pedestal.[1] In September, mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol (Socialist) wished to replace it with a statue or work of art dedicated to the recently deceased feminist Gisèle Halimi. The plans were strongly opposed by the leader of the city's opposition, Jean-François Bures.[2] Historian Thierry Lentz, director of the Fondation Napoléon, called the plans "cancel culture" and argued that Napoleon was a benefactor of Rouen, making him more locally relevant than Halimi.[5] In December 2021, a survey of 4,080 residents found that 68% wanted the statue to remain, and the city council said it would respect the result.[6]

Later in December 2021, the statue was registered as a monument historique.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Massin, Fabien (23 June 2021). "Rouen. Statue de Napoléon en restauration : un petit trésor découvert à l'intérieur !" [Rouen. Statue of Napoleon in restoration: a small treasure discovered inside!] (in French). Actu.fr. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b Derouet, Laurent (11 September 2020). "Rouen : le maire voudrait remplacer la statue de Napoléon par une œuvre dédiée à Gisèle Halimi" [Rouen: mayor would like to replace statue of Napoleon with a work dedicated to Gisèle Halimi]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  3. ^ Vadelorge, Loïc (20 March 2015). "Chapitre V. La culture comme rempart". Rouen sous la IIIe République : Politiques et pratiques culturelles (in French). Presses universitaires de Rennes. pp. 293–352. ISBN 978-2-7535-2581-8. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Rouen : la statue Napoléon inscrite au titre des monuments historiques" [Rouen: Napoleon statue registered as a monument historique] (in French). France 3. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  5. ^ Lentz, Thierry (27 September 2021). "Statue of Napoleon in Rouen: "It is a question of respecting our history"". Fondation Napoléon. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  6. ^ Lang-Roth, Cédric (13 December 2021). "Rouen : la statue de Napoléon va faire son retour sur le parvis de l'hôtel de ville" [Rouen: statue of Napoleon will make its return to the forecourt of the city hall] (in French). France Bleu. Retrieved 28 February 2022.

49°26′36″N 1°05′56″E / 49.4434°N 1.0989°E / 49.4434; 1.0989