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Origin and history

" The Soul of France" is a monumental bronze sculpture by French sculptor Carlo Sarrabezolles in 1930. With a height of 3.20 meters, it represents a warrior with bare breasts, raising her arms towards the sky: her right hand holds a sheaves of flowers, while her left fist tightens a shield. This allegory symbolizes the victory of France and pays tribute to the soldiers who died during the First World War, including the Réunions as the airman Roland Garros. The "V" posture and realistic details (dresses, draped skirt) contrast with its partial nudity, a source of controversy.

The statue was commissioned in 1931 by the deputy Lucien Gasparin for the town of Salazie, where it was first installed in front of the town hall, opposite the church. Curé Gabriel Bourasseau, shocked by his nakedness, organized his destruction with dynamite in 1941, breaking his arms. The debris was hidden behind a hair salon before being re-welded in 1946. Displaced at Hell-Bourg, it was once again overturned by the 1948 cyclone, then forgotten face to face for twenty years before it was rediscovered in 1968.

Rehabilitated as a monument to the dead in 1974, the statue was listed at the Historic Monuments in 2004. Today located at the entrance of Hell-Bourg (coordinates: 21°03'52"S, 55°31'18"E), it sits on a cast iron base, surrounded by a memorial garden. The parishioners assimilate Jeanne d'Arc, and her tumultuous history — between destruction, abandonment and recognition — reflects the political and religious tensions of La Réunion in the 20th century. His creator, Carlo Sarrabezolles, inspired his experience of the Great War to design this work, the first of a series of statues with raised arms.

The original plaster model (1921, silver medal at the Salon des Artistes Français) is preserved at the Historial de Péronne, while the stone version (1922, National Prize) is located at the Musée Sainte-Croix de Poitiers. The bronze version is the only one installed outdoors. Its foundation is currently undergoing a renovation project led by the Salazie ecomuseum, supported by DRAC. The monument today embodies the island's memory and artistic heritage, between colonial heritage and local identity.

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