Monument aux Combattants de la Haute-Garonne — Toulouse, France
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prussel
N 43° 36.005 E 001° 27.124
31T E 375064 N 4828620
The Monument aux Combattants de la Haute-Garonne (Monument to the fighters of Haute-Garonne) is a monumental triumphal arch, commemorating the heroes of WW I
Waymark Code: WMYG02
Location: Occitanie, France
Date Posted: 06/11/2018
Views: 5
The Monument aux Combattants de la Haute-Garonne is a monumental triumphal arch, commemorating the heroes of World War I and stands in the middle of the Allées Forain-François Verdier. It was commissioned by General Council of Haute-Garonne in August 1919 and the allocation was made by a competition "open to all French architects and sculptors attached by their education to the Toulouse region". While the design of the ensemble belongs to the architect Léon Jaussely, the reliefs were designed by the sculptors Camille Raynaud, André Joseph Abbal and Henri-Raphaël Moncassin. The construction was completed in 1928, except for Raynaud reliefs will only finished in 1931.
Although the monument is a "homage to the dead", it is especially to "the glory of all dead or living fighters". The glorification of patriotism contained in this monument, makes it an increase of victory rather than just a memorial to the dead. This is particularly evident in Raynaud's relief "La Victoire".
In later times, inscriptions were added to commemorate the dead in "Indochine 1945-1954" and "Afrique du Nord 1952-1962" and a plaque "A la gloire des Parachutistes ayant combattu pour La France".
In the archway of the monument is an Eternal Flame which, however, is apparently ignited only on commemoration days.
source: Les monuments aux morts