Monument to Maréchal Moncey

The Monument to Marshal Moncey commemorates the defense of Paris by Marshal Moncey, who was the major-general of the National Guard at the time. He opposed the entry of the Cossacks at the Clichy barrier who were about to invade Paris in 1814.

In 1864, the City of Paris launched a competition to create the monument; forty sculptors and architects participated. The municipal Fine Arts commission judged the projects and selected the winner. Among the candidates, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux proposed a design: Marshal Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey was depicted on his rearing horse above a pile of intertwined bodies. However, it was the more academic design by Amédée Doublemard for the statue and by architect Edmond Guillaume for the pedestal that was chosen.

In 1866, the final project was approved by the Fine Arts commission. The foundation work began in 1868. The cost of the work amounted to 101,800 Francs.

The sculpture portrays Marshal Moncey on horseback, leading and commanding his men. At his feet, Parisians who witnessed these events huddle and protect themselves. One of the bas-reliefs of the monument is designed based on the painting by Horace Vernet, "La Barrière de Clichy. Defense of Paris, March 30, 1814 (1820)." It is inscribed above the wings of an imperial eagle: "Under the reign of Napoleon III, in memory of the Defense of Paris by Marshal Moncey, major-general of the National Guard, on March 30, 1814, at the Clichy barrier, the city of Paris erected this monument. 1869." For financial reasons, the prefect of the Seine had four statues of fighters removed, composed of a student from the Polytechnic School, a worker, a National Guard, and a veteran. These were to be located at the corners of the pedestal.