Tournai - Monument des vendéens

Monument des Vendéens - Monument 88e Division Territoriale de l'Armée Française.

This monument commemorates the memory of the Vendée soldiers who fell on August 24, 1914 to defend Tournai against the German assailant.

The statuary which surmounts the mound on a square plinth is a "giant" produced by Egide Rombaux (1865-1942). The overall composition (mound and commemorative plaque) is by the architect Léon Govaerts (1860-1930), a figure of Art Nouveau in Belgium. The sculptor chose the symbol of the giant in reference to the nickname "Giants of the Vendée" given by Napoleon Bonaparte to the Vendeans in homage to their bravery during their uprising against the Convention. Originally, the five-foot-tall "Giant" with an athletic body held the torch of Civilization at the end of his right arm while the bundles of Right lined up at his feet.

In May 1940, the torch and the right leg were torn off by a shell, hence the inscription "Mutilated in May 1940" added to the base.

The giant's nose was altered from the wear and tear of time and pollution. The torch of the Eternal Flame, surrounded by the coats of arms of Fontenay, Sables d'Olonne and La Roche-sur-Yon (the three towns from which the soldiers came) complete the ensemble.