La Sasson

Allow me to introduce you to the Sasson! This bronze statue was erected for the centenary of the first attachment of Savoy to France during the revolutionary period. It is the work of the sculptor Alexandre Falguière. At that time, it was simply called “The Centenary Monument.” The term Sasson comes from the local dialect. It is often used as a nickname for Françoise, but in Savoyard, it also means a large woman. The inhabitants did not appreciate the heaviness of the features of their 4-meter-high representative. The mayor of the time, however, thought differently and welcomed the work, in the presence of the President of the Republic Sadi Carnot, with these words: “This statue represents Savoy well with its robust grace. She presses on her breast the symbol of her homeland, the immortal tricolor flag that has traveled the world, carrying in its folds ideas of emancipation, independence, and social equality.” In 1942, under German occupation, it was unbolted and shipped to Germany to be melted down. Yet it is the original that stands before you today as it was found, decapitated, in a station in Hamburg and returned to the city in 1950. A public consultation was organized to determine whether or not the Sasson should be showcased again. For the inhabitants, the Sasson’s image shifted, now representing the Resistance, and they wished for its symbolic return to its original location. A heritage association, named the “Friends of Old Chambéry” took care of its restitution and also commissioned sculptor Serge Bloch from Grenoble, to give it back its proud and determined face.