Stendhal, Memorial stone in Montmartre cemetery, Paris, France
Stendhal is a memorial stone in the Montmartre cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France. The stone features a two-panel slab with an oxidized bronze medallion showing the left profile of the writer's face, modeled by sculptor Pierre Jean David d'Angers.
Stendhal, whose real name was Marie-Henri Beyle, died on March 23, 1842 in Paris and was buried in the Montmartre cemetery. The grave was moved in the late 1880s due to the construction of a metal viaduct over the cemetery, then relocated again in 1962 to its current position.
The inscription on the stone is written in Italian, not French, reflecting the writer's deep attachment to Italy and to Milan in particular. Visitors often stop to read the short text, which says he wrote, loved, and lived.
The grave is located inside the Montmartre cemetery, which is open to the public and easy to reach on foot from the surrounding neighborhood. Picking up a map at the entrance is a good idea, as the paths wind through many sections and the stone can be easy to miss.
Stendhal drafted his own epitaph over 20 years before his death, sketching out a simple Italian inscription and even drawing a design for the stone. He recorded these wishes in multiple texts, showing how deliberately personal the final result was.
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