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Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Pamiers, located in the Ariège department in the Occitan region, commemorates the soldiers of the commune who died during the conflicts of the twentieth century. It is distinguished by a sculptural composition in granite of Brittany representing five hairs: four carrying the body of one fifth, covered with a mortuary sheet engraved with the names of the 339 Pamierois victims of the First World War. A winged victory in cast iron, equipped with a torch, overcomes the whole, while side plates list the 73 deaths of the Second World War, as well as those of the wars of Korea, Indochina and Algeria. Two other plaques pay tribute to the local regiments (59th, 134th, 259th RI) and their major battles.

The project was launched in July 1919 by the municipal council, less than a year after the Armistice. The sculptor Henri Proszynski, residing in Crampagna, creates the statue, while the architect Émile Sauret designs the oval concrete and granite platform, built by the Latré entrepreneur. Inaugurated on October 28, 1923 after 15 months of construction, the monument costs 90,000 francs, financed by a third by public subscription. Ranked a historic monument in October 2018, it is part of a set of 42 protected monuments in Occitanie for their heritage, artistic or memorial value.

The monument occupies a terrace accessible by a staircase of six steps, in the centre of the square of Souvenir-Français, near the station. A few meters away stands a second departmental monument dedicated to soldiers killed in North Africa (1952–1962). The ensemble illustrates the memorial commitment of Pamiers, a city marked by the military sacrifices of the 20th century, while being a key element of its urban and historical landscape.

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