Lieutenant Bonaparte statue

Here, blending into the background of the Porte Neuve square, is a bronze statue of a seated man reading a book. It’s a life-size statue of Napoleon Bonaparte, as he was back in 1786. The man who was to become Emperor of the French was, at the time, just a 17-year-old lieutenant with dreams of conquest, who learned a lot in Valence. After attending the military school in Paris, he was sent to the Valence artillery school in 1785, where he learned how to operate a cannon and to command troops. In the years that followed, he visited the town no less than 18 times, each time leaving his mark on it. Cheered by the locals despite his defeat, he made one last appearance in 1814, on his way to Elba, where he was exiled for a time. After that, he never returned , but he had already left his mark here. This statue, installed here in 2010, is a tribute to the months he  spent here. It is the work of sculptor Jean-Paul Ravit. If you’d like to find out more about Bonaparte’s visits to Valence, there’s a special trail called “Sur les pas de Bonaparte” (Following Bonaparte’s footsteps), which you can follow and that will take you to the various places he visited. Pop in to the tourist office to find out more!