I went to Lectoure’s Friday market this morning, and ran into our neighbor, Gerard. He asked if I was going to the ceremony for Marachel Lannes, and I had forgotten about it. He invited me to walk to the Marachel Lannes monument in Bastion Park with him, and we waited for the ceremony to begin. Today marked the 150th anniversary of Marachel Lannes death on 31 May, 1809.
“Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was one of Napoleon’s most daring and talented generals, and is regarded by many as one of history’s greatest military commanders. He was born in Lectoure in 1769, and he became a personal friend of Napoleon.”
The ceremony this morning was led by a Gers historian, with flowers laid at the foot of the monument by the mayor, and retired military. A group of teenagers from the local high school, named for Marachel Lannes, prepared a performance after the ceremony.
