The Story of the Chevalier de la Barre Statue

(Last Update: 05.01.2026) Guest Writer: Faruk Uraz

I think it's the first place to see when you first come to Paris. Montmartre Hillis. First of all, Montmartre offers its visitors an exquisite Paris skyline presents. Then it is obligatory for every tourist to visit the famous Sacre Coeur Church is also here. Then Paris has a very special place in Christian history. Saint Pierre Church There are some that you should definitely visit while you're there. And Painters' Square in the cold winter months to drink a glass of French wine or try the onion soup in the cafes... A good Montmartre Tour passes through the vineyards and gardens - even though the gardens are a bit literal, it is a place where grapes are harvested with ceremonies every year. Vineyard There really is- Utrilloof, Daliof, Dalidaof, PicassoExplore each street separately, following in the footsteps of PigalleIt is completed by walking until…

STATUE OF CHEVALIER DE LA BARRE

So why this statue, this statue in the first place, and this statue in the first place? I was saying that just to be annoying :) I want people to see that beautiful Paris. romantik Let them get out of the atmosphere, bohemian atmosphere, touristic atmosphere and immerse themselves for a moment.  blood, riot, torture ve powder Let them find themselves in the middle of reeking revolutionary Paris. Don't you think a statue of a young man whose hand and tongue were cut off and then burned to death would be ideal for this work? Our young man's name Chevalier de La BarreHe was sentenced to death on the grounds that he committed a crime against the saints of the Church.The moment I first discovered Chevalier de La Barre, I felt like I had grasped an important clue to truly understand Montmartre. My sense of guidance did not mislead me; The first information I found while tracking this young man took me back to 1905, one of the important milestones of the struggle for secularism in France. If you want, let me introduce you to Chevalier de La Barre and then we'll go back to 1905.

THE UNFORTUNATE HEAD OF CHEVALIER DE LA BARRE

Our young man's real name François Jean Lefebvre, Chevalier de La Barre is his nickname. He comes from a rich and noble family, but he is not lucky. He lost his parents early and wanted to live a vagabond life with a few like-minded friends. It is known that his father was a general who served in the French army. His grandfather's position is more impressive, he was a colonial governor for France in North America for a while. Anyway, one day, while Chevalier de La Barre and his two friends were walking around the streets drinking and singing obscene songs, they saw a religious group passing in front of them with a ceremony, but they neglected to stand up and take off their hats. According to the customs of that period, this behavior was considered a great disrespect towards religion, so they attracted a lot of reaction and were marked.

A week or two had not passed since the incident, and just when everything was forgotten, news came that the statue of Jesus, which adorned a bridge in their town, was broken. As expected, this incident caused great outrage among the public. They went after Chevalier de La Barre and his friends, saying, "These punks would have broken the statue of Jesus no matter what." Two of Chevalier de La Barre's friends escaped out of France, but Chevalier de La Barre was caught before he could escape. Let's see what else will happen to the unfortunate Chevalier de La Barre?

VOLTAIRE'S FORBIDDEN BOOK / SAVE US FROM MOSIOR GUILLOTINE

While the poor boy was being interrogated under torture, they also searched his house. Let's not forget that Torture was a natural part of the judicial process in France at the time. So much so that the law imposes strict rules on how to torture. There is torture, big and small; There is the one for that crime, there is the one for that crime; There are those made using that tool, and there are those made using that tool. By the way, we said it was France at that time, but we did not say which date: 1760s. Much later, witnesses came forward who said that Chevalier de La Barrre was not outside but at home during the incident (when the statue of Jesus was broken), but in vain, Chevalier de La Barre confessed his crime under torture one time. Moreover, during the search of his house Voltaire's forbidden book Dictionary of Philosophy was found. No need to say more, his crime is proven and he will be burned to death for opposing religion. It is known that Chevalier de La Barre applied to the superior court in Paris, his application was accepted, he was transferred to a detention house in Paris and he was tried again in Paris, but the result did not change. In fact, they made a change; since the prisoner had not yet reached the age of majority, 21, instead of being directly burned, it was decided that he would first be killed by cutting off his hand and tearing out his tongue, and then he would be burned... All sources say that Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary was also burned. I think it is understandable why, years later, the introduction of execution by guillotine was considered a serious advance in France.

STABILITY STATUE ACROSS THE STABILITY CHURCH

It is not normal that Chevalier de La Barre was sentenced to such a heavy penalty for such a small crime. Even he was very surprised by what happened to him, and the last words out of his mouth were "I never thought that a gentleman like me could be killed for such a simple thing." When examined, it becomes clear that France was very politically divided in those years, and the parties competed to show their teeth to each other over the Chevalier de La Barre. Chevalier De La Barre, the last name in France to suffer the wrath of the church in such a barbaric manner, became a symbolic name in the following years. Months before France's transition to secularism (1905) a church of stubbornness Sacre Cœur ChurchThat's all I have to say about this statue erected right in front of .

Well Sacre Coeur Church Why is it a church of stubbornness? In order to answer this question correctly German siege Parisians groaning under the sun had to eat horses, mules, cats, dogs, even elephants and mice because of hunger. 1870-1871 We have to go to winter. If you want, that can be the subject of another article. One day in Paris Montmartre Hill'Whenever you happen to be on your way,  funicular Be sure to see this statue in the small park on the left after exiting. Even before arriving, Voltaire's Dictionary of Philosophy tolerance coming immediately after the article torture/torture Find and read the article; There, Voltaire mentions Chevalier de La Barre in his specially added torture clause.

Faruk Uraz, Paris