The statue depicting Beatrice of Savoy (1198-1266), princess of the House of Savoy and landmark of the commune of Les Échelles in Savoy, was found decapitated by residents on Tuesday October 31. “The head has not been found and there is no demand for ransom,” reports a source familiar with the case. The case remains mysterious.
The local association La Commanderie, which had financed and erected the monument inaugurated in July 2016, is considering filing a lawsuit. The investigation is being taken over by the gendarmerie brigade in Les Échelles.
The monument, which is 3 metres high and weighs almost 3 tonnes, was erected in the square of the same name in Les Échelles, opposite the former Logis des Commandeurs, now the town hall, and was made by the sculptor Philippe Bouvet in memory of Beatrice of Savoy, a princess of the House of Savoy and Countess of Provence.
Beatrice of Savoy helped the court of Aix-en-Provence achieve European renown in the first half of the 13th century, before retiring at the end of her life to her castle on the Menuet hill in Les Échelles and making numerous donations to the inhabitants, which earned her the nickname “Bienfaitrice des Échelles” or “Bonne dame des Échelles”. www.francebleu.fr
Echelles (73) : la statue de la bienfaitrice Béatrice de Savoie décapitée – Fdesouche