Jacques Cartier Statue, Bronze statue in Saint-Malo, France
The Jacques Cartier Statue is a bronze sculpture set on one of the bastions of the city walls of Saint-Malo, France. Created by sculptor Georges Bareau, it shows the explorer standing upright, holding the rudder of La Grande Hermine in his hand.
The statue was unveiled on July 25, 1905, to honor the explorer Jacques Cartier, who was born and died in Saint-Malo. Sculptor Georges Bareau, originally from Nantes, had it cast at the Val d'Osne foundry in Paris, with funding raised through donations collected in both France and Canada.
The statue shows Cartier holding the rudder of La Grande Hermine and looking toward Canada, reflecting the bond between Saint-Malo and the country he helped put on European maps. A commemorative plaque added in 1984 was unveiled by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, making that connection visible to visitors today.
The statue stands on one of the bastions along the city walls and is easy to spot during a walk on the ramparts. From that spot, you can also see the beach and the open sea, making it a natural stop on a stroll through the old town.
A copy of the statue was placed in Quebec City, Canada, in 1926, showing how Cartier is remembered on both sides of the Atlantic. The base of the original in Saint-Malo carries an inscription with Cartier's own words as he sailed west from the Bay of Saint Lawrence.
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