Monument aux Girondins
The Monument aux Girondins is a memorial in Bordeaux, located at Place des Quinconces. Built between 1894 and 1901, it commemorates the Girondin deputies who were victims of the Terror. It is often called the “Girondins’ Column” by the people of Bordeaux and has been listed as a historic monument since 16 March 2011. The monument features a large base framed by two basins, decorated with horses and bronze groups, and topped by a 43-meter column crowned by a bronze statue of Liberty breaking her chains at a height of 54 meters. Among the sculptural groups are the Triumph of the Republic, the Triumph of Concord, the Gallic rooster, History, Eloquence, and a cornucopia.
October 2021 © Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0
August 2011 © Aubry Françon · CC BY-SA 3.0
August 2009 © Becks · CC BY 2.0
June 2014 © Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0
July 2014 © Ardfern · CC BY-SA 3.0
Identification | |
| Title | Monument aux Girondins |
| Type | Monument-fountain and victory column |
| Other names | Monumento aos Girondinos; Colonne des Girondins; monument des Girondins |
Historical context | |
| Original project status | The 1868 project was not realized |
| Design development | After the Bartholdi fountain project failed, Bordeaux merged the Girondins monument and fountain projects into one |
| Competition result | The second-prize project was ultimately chosen and executed; a first-prize project was also not realized |
| Municipal decision | Bordeaux City Council decided in 1881 to build a monument in memory of the deputies, partly reviving Guadet's project |
| Exhibited at | Paris Salon, 1870 |
| Bartholdi fountain project | A monumental fountain commissioned from Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi failed for cost reasons |
| Earlier project date | 1868 |
| Earlier planned location | Place Dauphine (now Place Gambetta), Bordeaux; later also considered for the center of Allées de Tourny |
| Associated historical event | The last executions of Girondin deputies and their supporters took place at the former Place Dauphine in 1794 |
| Dedicated to | The Girondin deputies who were victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution |
| Historical context | Memorializes the Girondists, a political group linked to the French Revolution |
Location and ownership | |
| Chosen site | At the intersection of the square's longitudinal axis and the extension of Cours du 30-Juillet |
| Location | Place des Quinconces, Bordeaux, France |
| Heritage status | Classified as a historic monument; also listed as a Monument historique |
Creator | |
| Original designer | Julien Guadet |
| Family relation | Julien Guadet was the great-nephew of Élie Guadet |
| Executed project designers | Achille Dumilâtre and architect Henri Deverin, later revised by Dumilâtre and architect Victor Rich |
History and restoration | |
| Current restoration status | Since 1983, the figure groups have again formed part of the monument |
| Restoration campaign | An association formed in 1968 to demand reinstallation of the ornaments; after a press campaign, they were reinstalled in 1983 |
| Sent to | Savigner foundry in Angers |
| Storage after return | Stored in the hangars of the autonomous port, then moved to 25 Avenue du Docteur Schinazi, at the foot of the Pont d'Aquitaine |
| Fate of removed ornaments | The founder kept them instead of melting them and later returned them to the city |
| Missing element | The statuette symbolizing Liberty, Equality and Fraternity on the sphere in the right hand of the seated Republic statue of the south fountain has disappeared, probably stolen |
| Plaque deaths | Seven of the deputies named on the plaque were executed |
| Commemorative plaque | Installed in 1989 for the bicentennial of the Storming of the Bastille |
| Plaque content | Engraved with the names of eight Girondin deputies |
| Plaque selection criterion | The names chosen were those of the eight Girondin party members who were actually deputies of the Gironde department |
| Plaque differences from original plan | Only five of the eight deputies planned for the original statue groups are represented on the plaque; François Bergoeing, Jean-François Ducos, and Jacques Lacaze replace Barbaroux, Buzot, and Pétion |
| François Bergoeing | Died naturally in Bordeaux in 1829; had been a member of the Committee of General Security |
| Heritage designation date | 16 March 2011; 8 July 2004 |
| War-time compensation | The city received 1.5 million francs in compensation |
| Removal date | Began in mid-December of the year stated in the source |
| Heritage designation history | Classified as a historic monument after having first been registered; the classification was approved by the Bordeaux municipal council |
| War-time reason | Mobilization of non-ferrous metals for shipment to Germany |
| World War II damage | During World War II, the metal-cast figure groups and bronze ornaments at the base of the column were removed to be melted down |
| Construction period | 1894–1901 |
| Construction dates | Works began in 1894 and ended in 1902 |
| Construction note | The monument was not completed as originally planned |
| Scaffolding | A wooden scaffolding 20 meters high was erected in 1894 |
Physical characteristics | |
| Height | 43 m |
| Structure | A large base framed by two basins, decorated with horses and bronze groups, surmounted by a 43-meter column |
| Decorative elements | Allegorical sculptural groups including the Triumph of the Republic, Triumph of Concord, the Gallic rooster, History, Eloquence, a cornucopia, and representations of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne |
| Main symbolic form | A victory column dedicated to the politically defeated |
| Planned figures | Pierre Vergniaud, François Buzot, Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve, Charles Jean Marie Barbaroux, Élie Guadet, Armand Gensonné, Jean-Antoine Grangeneuve, and Jean-Baptiste Boyer-Fonfrède |
| Missing figures | The two groups of statues representing the eight principal Girondin deputies were never made; their places on the column base behind each fountain remain empty |
| Top figure | A bronze statue of Liberty breaking her chains |
Materials | |
| Materials | Bronze; metal-cast figures and ornaments |
Appearance | |
| Style | Historicism |
| Purpose | Memorial to the Girondins, especially the deputies of the Girondin group |
| Motto of executed project | Gloria victis ('Glory to the vanquished') |