Le chat volant

This statue was created in 2011 by Jean Lequeu.

Notice the cat in this character's hand. In 1641, a pharmacist from Verviers, Monsieur Sarolea, wanted to attempt what could be described as impossible: to make a cat fly from the top of the parish church of Saint-Remacle (at the time located on the site of the current Town Hall) by attaching it to balloons filled with gas.

The four pig bladders to which he had tied the animal were not enough to prevent the poor cat from falling.

This legend, deeply rooted in local tradition, gave rise to a Verviers saying: ‘il fait voler le t'chet’ (he makes the cat fly), an expression that means trying to carry out a far-fetched or unrealistic project.