Valence war memorial, War memorial in Parc Jouvet, Valence, France.
The Valence War Memorial stands north of Parc Jouvet, near the Frédéric-Mistral bridge. It has three parts: a double column topped by a winged Victory, a stele inscribed with the names of soldiers killed for France, and a recumbent poilu (infantryman) on a deathbed beneath a small canopy. The Victory and the poilu were sculpted by Gaston Dintrat.
In 1919 the Valence municipal council set up a commission to build a war memorial. Henri Joulie, a Prix de Rome architect born in Valence, designed a three-part ensemble: a winged Victory at the top, a recumbent poilu representing Sacrifice, and a stele listing soldiers who died for France. Sculptor Gaston Dintrat made the Victory and poilu figures. The monument was inaugurated on 24 March 1929; two steles for deportees and soldiers killed in World War II were later added. It was listed as a monument historique on 13 March 2019 and classified on 25 March 2022.
The monument carries the republican motto "PAIX, TRAVAIL, FAMILLE" on the base of its column, above a band of red, white and blue. A low wall beside it bears a longer inscription, and two later steles commemorate the deported and the soldiers killed in the Second World War.
The memorial stands at the northern end of Parc Jouvet, close to the Pont Frédéric-Mistral. The three elements are set along a path, so they are seen in sequence on foot. The site is an open-air public monument and can be visited at any time of day.
The memorial was designed by Henri Joulie, a Valence-born architect and Prix de Rome laureate, with the Victory and the fallen soldier sculpted by Gaston Dintrat of the Drôme. It was inaugurated on 24 March 1929 and listed as a monument historique in 2019, then classified in 2022.
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