Victor noir grave

Victor noir statue
French journalist (1848–1870).
He was a French journalist whose life was tragically cut short on January 11, 1870, at the hands of Prince Pierre Bonaparte, a cousin of the.

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Words: Jeremy Miles Photographs: Hattie Miles

What a bohemian life we lead!I’m in Paris leaning on a grave in the Père Lachaise cemetery chuckling as my wife photographs a man’s erection. Right! Now I have your attention let me explain. The man in question is in effigy form.

It is the bronze memorial to 19th century journalist Victor Noir, the pen-name of hapless hack Yvan Salmon, who wasgunned down in his prime in 1870 and, for reasons lost in the mists of time, commemorated with a statue that features him in a state of perpetual sexual arousal.

It is an extraordinary life-size memorial which ostensibly portrays Noir’s untimely death, but there is more. Frock-coat open, he lies on his back, shirt undone, bullet wound in his chest, his top-hat lying on its side at his feet. His trousers are partially unbuttoned too and there is a very obvious bulge in the crotch area. In a bizarre twist of fate Victor’s sculpted image has gradually found fame as a fertility symbol. Childless and lonely women leave messages and flowers in his hat, kiss his lips or even rub the lump in

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Victor Noir: A Statue That Impregnates Women

Hidden amidst the labyrinthine pathways of the Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris lies an enigmatic tale, one that transcends time and tradition. It’s a legend that intertwines the realms of mortality and mystique, revolving around a young man named Victor Noir. But who was Victor Noir, and why does his memory continue to captivate the hearts and minds of visitors to this day?

Victor Noir, born Yvan Salmon on July 27, 1848, was not merely a fleeting presence in the annals of history. He was a French journalist whose life was tragically cut short on January 11, 1870, at the hands of Prince Pierre Bonaparte, a cousin of the French Emperor Napoleon III. Noir’s untimely demise, however, did not mark the end of his story; rather, it sparked a legacy that would endure for generations to come.

In death, Victor Noir became more than just a name etched in stone. His tomb, nestled within the hallowed grounds of Père Lachaise Cemetery, morphed into a symbol of defiance against the imperial regime. But it was not political dissent alone

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Did you know: Paris cemetery is home to a tomb promising fecundity

The tomb of a 19th-Century journalist, Victor Noir, is one of the most visited in the famous Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, due to its reputation as a fertility symbol, promising love and fecundity.

Proof lies in the appearance of the tomb where the green oxidation that has built up over the years due to exposure of the bronze to the elements has been rubbed away in three areas: around the mouth, the genitals and the feet.

Legend has it that if you touch the feet, you will meet the love of your life.

If you want to bring back a lover that has left you, a kiss on the mouth will do it.

And if you rub around the flies of the figure's trousers, women will become fertile, and men, virile.

A martyr to Republicans

Victor Noir’s first claim to fame was as a martyr to the Republican cause after he was shot dead in 1870, by Prince Pierre-Napoléon Bonaparte, a cousin of the Emperor Napoléon III.

At that time, Victor Noir, aged 22, was a young ambitious journalist. His real name was Yvan Sa