Lebanese, this is not the original statue of the martyrs. If we go back tens of years to the same Martyrs Square, specifically to the Mandate period, it becomes clear that there is another stone statue, bearing the name “Les Pleureuses”. So what is his story?

The original statue, sculpted by the Lebanese and international sculptor Youssef Howayek in 1952, was removed because it did not represent the scene of national unity. To ask the Italian artist “Marino Mazzacurati” to build another monument, which was inaugurated in 1960, during the era of President Fouad Chehab.

“Les Pleureuses” awaits lovers of the history of Lebanon, in the courtyard of the Sursock Museum in Ashrafieh.
Will it ever return to its place in Martyrs’ Square, to remind the Lebanese once again of Beirut’s fascination, culture and the beautiful time of the fifties?