Monument to Pau Claris

The monument to Pau Claris (1586–1641), created by Rafael Atché and inaugurated in 1917, is located on Passeig de Lluís Companys near the Arc de Triomf. Made of bronze on a stone pedestal, the statue depicts the Catalan statesman delivering his historic 1640 speech at the Palau de la Generalitat, when he called for an alliance with France against the troops of Philip IV during the War of Separation. Initially placed on the site vacated by the Casanova statue, the monument became a symbol of nationalist memory, though its commemorative role was overshadowed by that of Casanova on September 11. Removed in 1936 and saved from destruction after the war, the statue was reinstalled in 1977 and later moved to its current location, opposite the Pere Vila school group.