Aigle romaine

Place Voltaire in Ussel is home to this Roman eagle, sculpted from granite. It was discovered near the Peuch mill, south-east of Ussel. Dating from the Roman period, it may have crowned a burial monument that no longer exists. Headless when first discovered, it was added in 1804 by sculptor Pic when it was erected in honor of Napoleon Bonaparte's coronation. The eagle is a feminine noun when it becomes a symbol of the Roman or Napoleonic empire.