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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The statue of Louis XIV in Caen, carved by Louis Petitot in a neo-classical style, was erected in 1828 in Place Royale (now Place de la République) to affirm the city's loyalty to the restored monarchy. It replaces a first 17th century statue, destroyed in 1791 by revolutionaries. Bronze, financed by the municipality, represents the king as Roman emperor, symbolizing victory and peace.

The first statue, commissioned in 1684 by the municipality of Caen, was inaugurated in 1685 on Place Royale. She was 2.64 metres tall and showed Louis XIV in command position, surrounded by trophies and inscriptions in Latin and French. Sculpted in a friable stone, it quickly degraded and was shot down in July 1791 by the Jacobins, leaving only written descriptions.

In 1816, the city abandoned a project of a statue of Malherbe to favor a new effigy of Louis XIV, symbolizing the Restoration. After debates on materials (marble and bronze), Louis Petitot was chosen. The statue, melted by Charles Crozatier, was inaugurated in 1828 in the presence of commemorative medals. Threatened in 1830, she lost her lily flowers but survived.

In 1882 the Republican mayor Albert Mériel moved the statue in front of Malherbe High School (former abbey to the Men) to erase the monarchic symbols of the Royal Square. The transfer, which was controversial as far as Paris and London, was aimed at reconfiguring the public space. During the occupation, the statue barely escaped melting in 1941 thanks to its historical interest.

Since 1961, the statue stands on Place Saint-Sauveur, after being restored in 2012-2013. Its marble pedestal, protected since 2006, was slightly modified, removing the original three steps. The composition, inspired by the Augustus of Prima Porta, combines ancient symbols and allegories of peace, reflecting the ideology of the Restoration.

The work, criticized for its lack of dynamism (notably by Paul de Longumare in 1896), was nevertheless appreciated by the royal power in 1828. Today, it is listed as a historical monument and bears witness to the political and artistic tensions that crossed France from the 19th century.

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