Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Monument to Napoleon I is a bronze equestrian statue created by the sculptor Vital Gabriel Dubray, installed at the Place du Général-de-Gaulle in Rouen. Commanded after a departmental subscription launched in 1853, she represented the emperor on a horse, facing the cathedral. The bronze comes from Austerlitz cannons, melted to create the balancers of the Mint Hotel. The pedestal, designed by architect Louis-François Desmarest, features panels of griotte marble engraved with imperial institutions ("French Empire", "Code Napoléon", "Concordat", "Legion d'honneur") and a bas-relief commemorating Bonaparte's visit to a wheel factory in 1802.

Inaugurated on August 15, 1865 in the presence of Marshal Vaillant and Mayor Charles Verdrel, the monument symbolizes Rouen's recognition of Napoleon, considered a benefactor of his textile industry. Verdrel then declared that the city honours "a new era" opened by its reign. The statue, melted by Victor Thiébaut, escapes the requisition of metals under the occupation. In 2020, a crack in the foot of the horse led to its dismantling for restoration in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, revealing a metal box hidden in the base since 1865, containing historical documents.

The monument has been the subject of recent debates: in 2020, Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol proposes to replace it with a work dedicated to Gisèle Halimi, causing controversy. A civic consultation in 2021 saw 68% of voters support his return, which was held on 28 July 2022 under the acclaim of a public brandishing Norman and French flags. Ranked as a historical monument in December 2023, it now embodies the memorial tensions between Napoleonic heritage and representation of women in public space.

External links