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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Louis Giraud Memorial is a stone and bronze sculptured group located in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Vaucluse. He paid tribute to Louis Giraud, mayor of the commune and councillor general, for his major involvement in the creation of the Carpentras Canal, inaugurated in 1857. This irrigation system, launched in 1853, will sustainably transform local agriculture.

Inaugurated on September 20, 1925, the monument is the work of sculptor Marius Sain. It represents Louis Giraud sitting on a pedestal, surrounded by a bas-relief evoking the vauclusian landscape through the canal, as well as a river allegory and a peasant symbolizing the agricultural benefits. The original bronze statue, melted under the Vichy regime, will be replaced after 1945 by a stone version carved by Jean-Louis Morin, after the plaster model preserved at the Comtadin-Duplessis museum.

Ranked a historic monument since July 23, 2009, this monument illustrates the importance of hydraulic infrastructure in regional development. Its iconography combines political tribute and celebration of technical progress, reflecting the values of the Third Republic. The plot on which it stands (cadastre AZ 125) is also protected, highlighting its anchoring in the local heritage.

The Carpentras Canal, at the heart of this project, remains a testimony of 19th century engineering, while the monument perpetuates the memory of those who made it possible. Its location on Avenue de la Perle-du-Comtat, in Pernes-les-Fontaines, makes it a historical and cultural landmark for the commune and its visitors.

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