Place du Martyr and Chapuis monument

You are located at the Place du Martyr, formerly known as the "Place des Récollets" or "Place du Sablon".
At the end of the square stands the statue of Joseph-Grégoire Chapuis. This statue, inaugurated in 1880, represents Mr. Chapuis, a doctor-surgeon who was the first Verviers to have performed a caesarean section.
He was an honest magistrate, a friend of the poor, a great defender of the new ideas (political and social reforms) brought about by the French Revolution, but this good man unfortunately met a tragic fate because of his revolutionary ideas.
He was arrested and condemned "as an example" by the prince-bishop of Méan. The sentence was carried out on 2 Jan. 1794. His execution was carried out in a barbaric manner, as his executioner failed to behead. He had to do it six times and finish the job with a saw.
The statue of Chapuis is the only revolutionary monument in Belgium.
On the other side of the square is the "Rio + 10" fountain, a fountain that is part of the urban tourist route "The Fountain Route". This fountain built of Sprimont bluestone represents the Earth. You can easily go around the world by pushing the globe, which rests on hundreds of small jets of water, to make it rotate.

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| | Public | French