Monument to the Martyrs of the 1830 Revolution, Memorial monument at Martyr's Square, Brussels, Belgium
The Pro Patria monument stands on the Place des Martyrs: a blue-stone memorial with Carrara marble sculpture. At its base, two white marble angels kneel beside a panel inscribed "PATRIA"; above, a draped female figure of Liberty holds a tablet while the Belgian lion lies on broken chains. Four angels representing Prayer, Combat, Victory and Burial decorate the pedestal corners.
The monument was conceived in 1836 by architect Louis Roelandt and sculptor Guillaume Geefs, and inaugurated on 24 September 1838, though its marble angels and reliefs were only finished in 1849. It stands above a crypt holding 466 revolutionaries of September 1830: 183 from Brussels, 132 Flemings, 123 Walloons and 28 foreigners. The square was renamed Place des Martyrs on 2 October 1830, confirmed by mayor Nicolas-Jean Rouppe on 30 July 1831.
The square was renamed Place des Martyrs on 2 October 1830, and the name was made official by a decree of mayor Nicolas-Jean Rouppe on 30 July 1831. The monument is also called Pro Patria, after the word on its base. The four marble angels around the pedestal stand for Prayer, Combat, Victory and Burial.
The monument stands in the middle of Place des Martyrs, and the crypt gallery runs around it below street level. The crypt is reached by a staircase on the east side; four steps and an iron balustrade with a star motif separate it from the square. The square itself is level and open at any hour.
The crypt's 27 black marble plaques, with names in bronze letters, list 466 revolutionaries: 183 from Brussels, 132 Flemings, 123 Walloons and 28 foreigners. The gallery is reached by a staircase on the east side, and each pillar carries a star within an oak and laurel wreath.
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