10 Statues in Montparnasse Cemetery that Fascinated Me

In search of interesting statues in Montparnasse Cemetery but first a bit of history: Montparnasse Cemetery was opened on July 24, 1824. Reading the Histoire de Paris sign, I learned it comprises the land which at one time belonged to the Hôtel-Dieu and the religious members of the Charity Hospital.The mill which was formerly on this vast plot of 19 hectares became the grounds keeper’s house.

Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre

Some people search for tombs of historic people whereas, I searched for notable statues in Montparnasse Cemetery. But, I admit to searching for the tomb of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre. I expected something a bit more remarkable.

 

 

However, Beauvoir is never a disappointment. When I discovered that she studied mathematics as well as literature and philosophy, I was delighted!

Moving on from Beauvoir and Sartre, I decided I would just enjoy the shade and photograph the statues in Montparnasse Cemetery that caught my eye.

That’s when I discovered this tomb.

 

 

This sculpture reaches out to every emotion I have. She is lovely and has such a tender look on her face. I just have to wonder to whom is she so gently offering the flowers.  Look how the sculptor has captured the flow of her dress and the soft folds of her head scarf.

 

 

No detail is missed in this well-planned design. Notice that the tomb is not centered to allow for steps up the side as if she actually climbed them.  I have no idea to whom this tomb belongs and I captured no markings in the photo.

The tomb is not on the PDF map of famous people that you find on the cemetery site. What I did discover is that this tomb, which has Montparnasse Tower in the background, is slightly behind and to the right of the tomb of Porfirio Diaz.

Who was Porfirio Diaz?

José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori served 7 terms for a total of 31 years as president of Mexico. He was ousted in 1910 which historians view as the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.  After the forced resignation, he exiled to Paris where he died four years later. His tomb was unremarkable in my opinion as demonstrated by my non-existant photo.

Spiégel Family Tomb

According to the Histoire de Paris (History of Paris) marker , there are more than 34000 tombs here. Considering that each tomb likely has multiple family members means there are a lot of people buried here ! This is a close up of the Spiégel tomb. It says Ici reposent (Here lie) and then lists 5 family members, along with the age and date of death.

This tomb does not make the list of famous people buried in Montparnasse Cemetery but if I’m going to talk about statutes in Montparnasse Cemetery this one must be included!  And I’ve been unable to find any information about this family that built such a grand tomb. I did think I had a viable lead to the Spiégel family via Ancestry.com but the genealogist who had done the historical research guaranteed me that his branch of the family is strictly in the Alsace.

 

I was so focused on the grand Spiégel monument that I almost overlooked the small child on the tomb in the background!

Who is this child?

This small child is in the process of writing something on the tomb of Auguste Rubin (1841-1909) , a French sculptor. But why? and Who is this child? Unfortunately, I’ve found no answers to my questions. My curious nature wants an answer!

Next Came Pierre Larousse

Pierre Larousse (1817-1875) is the father of French dictionary fame. In 1856 he published the forerunner to what would become La Petit Larousse. With its lovely illustrations this would be my favorite dictionary. Every year a new version is produced with additional new words. The year 2020 saw 150 new words to be included along with the other 63,500 words.

 

 

Representative of the People, Died for the Republic

I was attracted to this statue in Montparnasse Cemetery out of pure curiosity. From a distance it looked like an unshaped mass of rock. It is the tomb of Auguste Dornès who died in the French Revolution of 1848. His tomb reads

Représentant du Peuple, Mort Pour la Répubique, 20 juillet 1848
(Representative of the People, Died for the Republic, 20 July 1848.)

 

The play of shadows in this section of the cemetery was particularly lovely!

 

 

Congregation of the Mission

This tomb is for the Congregation of the Mission, a community of Roman Catholic priests and brothers founded by St. Vincent de Paul in 1625. Their objective is evangelization of the poor and the formation of the clergy.

In other photos I found of this tomb, there are two bronze plaques of names and dates on the left and right sides of what appears to be a door. You can see where the plaques are missing if you look closely. I conjecture they comprise a list of entombed persons.

The Latin inscription on the front reads

Beati morui qui in domino morriuntur
(Blessed are the dead who in dying)

Opera illorum sequuntu illos.
(Their works follow them)

Monuments by Niki de Saint Phalle

I captured this photo, knowing nothing about Ricardo or who sculpted the cat. But, the tile embedded monument was eye-catching, covered in hearts and flowers. Its creator is Niki de Saint Phalle.

Niki de Saint Phalle was an AIDS activist, French-American sculptor, painter and filmmaker. Ricardo was her assistant for 10 years. She created this cat for Ricardo who died of AIDS.

According to Saint Phalle, she “found Ricardo to be like a cat, proud, mysterious, and sexy. When he was dying in the hospital she promised him she would make a cat sculpture in his honor and place it on his tomb. He liked the idea and she set about securing an honorable and memorable place for him to be buried.” (nikidesaintphalle.org )

The plaque reads:

Pour notre grand ami Ricardo mort trop tôt jeune, aimé, et beau (For our great friend Ricardo died too young, loved, and beautiful).

This next monument is to another friend of Saint Phalle’s,  Jean-Jacques Goetzman who also died of AIDS. I think this one is incredible. The monument is supposed to resemble a human body and its suffering that is then transformed to a bird and flies away. The mirrored surface reflects the sky, where in my mind the bird has flown.

 

On the base written in gold is “À mon Ami Jean-Jacques un oiseau qui s’est envolé trop tôt” (To my friend Jean-Jacques who flew away too early).

 

This close-up allows for a more detailed look at the face. It is definitely one of the most unusual of the statues in Montparnasse Cemetery that I found!

Valentine Lecomte du Nouÿ’s Brief Life

Valentine Peigné-Crémieux was the wife Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouÿ, a French Orientalist painter and sculptor. It was her brief story as much as her tomb that grabbed my attention. She lived just 21 short years. The plaque at the end of the tomb tells her history: Born 31 March 1855, Married 1 August 1876, Died 15 October 1876

 

 

What’s Nearby to Enjoy?

• If you are the mood for pizza, I highly recommend Pizzeria Tripletta Gaité, 1 Impasse de la Gaité. Friendly service, amazing wood-fired pizzas, and great prices.
• Les Fondues de la Raclette is another tasty place to eat! Fondu, raclette, tartiflette and more!
• The market street of rue Daguerre is just steps away, more food and ambience in abundance.
• Lovely rue Thermopyles is definitely worth the short walk!
• The Catacombs are fascinating, just be sure to get there about 8 in the morning. Waiting for an hour in the cool of the morning for them to open is better than the long lines in the heat later in the day!

 

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