Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Romans-sur-Isère, made by the sculptor Gaston Dintrat, is part of a landscape composition on the esplanade of Champ-de-Mars, an ancient place of arms. It takes the form of an exhedra, centered on a monumental stele adorned with Athena Poliade, a protective goddess symbolizing Immortality, although the city did not have a proven ancient bond. Four pillars bear women's allegories of the 1920s and 1930s: War, Peace, Victory and Justice, treated in semi-relief with details embedded in the stone. These figures, both timeless and anchored in their time, are surmounted by an entablishment narrating scenes from the front (aviators, infantrymen, sailors) and the rear (forgerons, terrassiers, farewells of families), mixing contemporary costumes and universal symbols. The names of the landmark battles are engraved, while later commemorative plaques, added to the base, evoke other conflicts.

The genesis of the monument was long and tumultuous, marked by political differences and municipal changes. As early as 1915, its realization was envisaged, but discussions on the use of the funds collected delayed the project: a simple plaque was first preferred, with money primarily helping survivors. In 1930, the prefect called the mayor to order that the funds be used according to their original destination. Two sculptors were consulted, and Dintrat's model, which had been a candidate since 1919, was finally retained. The monument was completed only in 1934, almost twenty years after the first discussions. Its implantation on the former square of arms, under rehabilitation, and its sculptural richness make it a major artistic and historical testimony of the inter-war period.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2019, the monument includes its fence elements (gate, barring) and integrates into a landscaped complex with resinous and plane trees framing the perspective. Despite poor composition (no-readable narrative bas-reliefs in height), the work is distinguished by its iconographic diversity and its anchoring in the local context. The plaques added a posteriori for other conflicts underline its memorial evolution, while its recent requalification by the city aims to preserve this emblematic heritage of the Drôme.

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