Monument to Jules Ferry, Marble statue in Tuileries Garden, Paris, France
The Monument to Jules Ferry is a marble sculpture by Gustave Michel, inaugurated in 1906 in the Tuileries Garden near the Grand Bassin Rond. It shows Ferry standing on a pedestal, with two female figures and a young boy at its base, and reaches about 6.35 meters in height.
Gustave Michel's monument was inaugurated in 1906, but its origins lie in a national subscription launched in 1903 by the League of Education, which raised funds from schoolchildren and teachers. The bronze figure of Jules Ferry stands on a pedestal carved with allegories of the Republic's schools, replacing earlier plans for a tomb at Saint-Dié. Ferry's laws of 1881 and 1882 made primary schooling free, compulsory and secular.
The monument honors the statesman who made schooling accessible to all children and separated religious influence from public education. Visitors see here a tribute to a turning point in French society that continues to matter today.
The monument stands near the Grand Bassin Rond in the Tuileries Garden, on the gravel alleys between the Rue de Rivoli and the Seine side. The garden's flat, wide paths suit wheelchairs and strollers. The nearest metro stops are Tuileries and Concorde, and several garden gates open directly onto the monument's surroundings.
Two million French schoolchildren helped fund this monument through a national collection organized by the League of Education. This widespread support shows how deeply the French people valued the new school reforms.
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