Place Vauban square in Paris
This is a semi-circular square holding a statue commemorating one of the Marshals of France who fought during World War I, and located opposite Les Invalides, it provides a fabulous view of the chapel where the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte is located.
About Place Vauban in Paris
The Place Vauban was first laid out back in 1780 and was named after Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban who was born in 1633, became an engineer plus a military planner, and was made a Marshal of France by King Louis XIV.
It is a semi-circular square with the Avenue de Tourville running across, and the roads called the Avenue de Villars, Avenue de Segur and the Avenue de Breteuil all intersecting with it, and the French state assigned the Place Vauban to the City of Paris in 1838.
However, the monument you can see erected within this square in Paris is a far more modern addition to what would otherwise be a rather bland place, as it was only in 1929 that a committee was formed in order to erect a monument dedicated to Marshall Fayolle.
The Monument to Marechal Fayolle
Marie Emile Fayolle was born in 1852 and graduating from military school he served in the French army gradually working up the ranks and became a Brigadier General before his retirement, however, with the outbreak of World War I, Emile Fayolle was called back to service. Emile Fayolle was the commander of different units within the Great War, including at the Battle of the Somme, and even over in Italy before being recalled back to France to aid the allied forces in his home country, and he was made a Marechal de France, or Marshal of France, in 1921 only seven years before he passed away.
So, hence why the committee was formed the year after his death to have a monument produced in his memory, yet there were major problems with where this statue in Paris should be placed, and one of the options was the Champ de Mars, but eventually the Place Vauban by the historical Hotel des Invalides was chosen.
The sculptor chosen for the project was the French artist Jean Boucher, who was well known for his memorial sculptures, with many that can be seen throughout Paris, including one at Place Denfert-Rochereau, another dedicated to American volunteers in the Place des Etats-Unis, etc.
You will find that the main statue depicting Marie Emile Fayolle is made of bronze and is located on top of a large stone statue group, and this was eventually inaugurated in the October of 1935 within the Place Vauban, yet it was not until 1938 that the commemorative plaque was put in place, and again there was another inauguration ceremony conducted at this time.
Yet, as we mentioned before, the Place Vauban also has a fabulous view to the Eglise du Dome of Les Invalides, and this is what most people recognise the square in Paris for.
Visiting Place Vauban in Paris
Now when it comes to finding the Place Vauban and the monument of Emile Fayolle, you will discover this on the south side of the Hotel des Invalides in the 7th Arrondissement close to numerous different tourist attranctions.
And when it comes to getting here via public transport in Paris, the nearest Metro station is the Saint-Francois-Xavier stop serving line 13, or a few more metres away in the Varenne stop serving the same line.
