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Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Riom, erected in the first half of the 20th century, takes the form of a triumphal arch of nearly 5 meters high, inspired by the Roman funerary arch of Sextius Campanus in Aix-les-Bains. His plans, signed by architect Gabriel Ruprich-Robert, combine ancient influences with a bold polychromy, combining red stones from Estandeuil and white from Montpeyroux. Local critics, comparing its appearance with earthenware, pushed the architect to propose a replacement with Volvic stone, without success.

The arch rests on pieddroits with vermiculated bosses, flanked by pilasters decorated with colossal palms and cross of the Legion of Honour in bas-relief. The scabs, decorated with two-coloured lamprequins, contrast with the triglyphs and metopes. The pediment bears the inscription "To the soldiers of the Great War", while the more sober reverse shows "The City of Riom grateful". This monument, classified in total in 2018, symbolizes both the homage to the dead and the aesthetic debates of the inter-war period.

The design of the monument is based on photographs and measurements of the arch of Aix-les-Bains, requested by the municipality of Riom at the ministry in 1920. Ruprich-Robert, chief architect of the Historic Monuments, translates a revised classical language, where geometric rigor dialogues with decorative motifs charged with patriotic symbols. The location at the entrance of the Virlogeux Square, at the intersection of the eponymous avenue and Jeanne-d'Arc Street, makes it a landmark urban landmark.

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