Buste de Clotilde de Vaux

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Buste de Clotilde de Vaux is a Paris guided half-day experience starting from €competitive.

The Buste de Clotilde de Vaux is a small bronze monument in Square Clotilde de Vaux, in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. Add it to a walk around Boulevard Beaumarchais for a documented link to Auguste Comte and the history of positivism. Use the passage between 47 rue Amelot and 56 boulevard Beaumarchais to find it.

What is the Buste de Clotilde de Vaux?

The Buste de Clotilde de Vaux is a bronze portrait monument to Clotilde de Vaux (1815-1846), known for her connection to philosopher Auguste Comte. The City of Paris received the work in 1989 from Brazilian positivists; the monument catalogue identifies its sculptor as Decio Villares.

Quick fact	Verified detail
Location	Square Clotilde de Vaux, passage between 47 rue Amelot and 56 boulevard Beaumarchais, 11th arrondissement
Artwork	Bronze bust of Clotilde de Vaux
Sculptor	Decio Villares (1851-1931)
City ownership	City of Paris
Gift to Paris	1989, from Brazilian positivists
Useful Metro stop	Chemin Vert, line 8

Where is the bust, and how do you find it?

The bust stands in Square Clotilde de Vaux, a small passage linking the area around rue Amelot and Boulevard Beaumarchais. The official monument record gives the passage between 47 rue Amelot and 56 boulevard Beaumarchais as the current location. Chemin Vert on Metro line 8 is the practical starting point; enter the full address in your map app before setting out.

This is a brief outdoor heritage stop, best paired with a walk through the nearby Marais or Bastille area. For larger landmark planning, use our Paris monuments guide and Metro stations guide.

Who was Clotilde de Vaux?

Clotilde de Vaux was born in Paris in 1815 and died there in 1846. The City of Paris and the Maison d’Auguste Comte describe how she met Comte in 1844. Their correspondence and her death shaped his later religious positivism, which is why her name appears in Parisian public space and in the history of Comte’s thought.

The Maison d’Auguste Comte records 183 letters exchanged in a little more than a year. It also describes Clotilde’s work to support herself through writing after an unhappy marriage. Her 1844 novel Lucie is part of the documented record; sweeping claims about a large body of poetry or public literary fame are not needed to understand the monument.

Year	Documented event
1815	Clotilde de Vaux is born in Paris.
1835	She marries Amedee de Vaux.
1839	Her husband flees to Belgium after accusations of misappropriating public funds, according to the Maison d’Auguste Comte.
1844	She meets Auguste Comte and publishes Lucie.
1845	Comte writes to her and their intense correspondence begins.
1846	Clotilde de Vaux dies in Paris.

What can you see at the monument?

The City of Paris identifies the sculpture as a bronze by Decio Villares, a Brazilian artist who lived from 1851 to 1931. Its public-art description draws attention to the composed pose, simple hairstyle, flowers, and bird on Clotilde’s bodice. Those details give the work a more useful reading point than a generic claim that it is a major attraction.

The location is part of the experience. The monument catalogue calls it Square Clotilde de Vaux and gives a passage between rue Amelot and Boulevard Beaumarchais. Pause to read the plaque and view the bust, then continue your walk. The catalogue’s 2023 and 2025 field-survey notes make it a stronger source for the work’s current location than unsourced map snippets or generic review text.

Why does this modest monument matter?

The work has a specific international history: Brazilian positivists offered it to Paris in 1989. That detail connects a quiet 11th-arrondissement monument with the wider afterlife of Comte’s ideas in Brazil. The monument catalogue also confirms that the City of Paris owns it and recorded it in a 2025 field survey.

Clotilde’s importance in this context comes from Comte’s response to their relationship and to her death. The City of Paris says that his later religious positivism developed after her death. The Maison d’Auguste Comte preserves objects and correspondence connected with that history. This makes the bust useful for readers interested in Paris beyond the familiar museum circuit.

Which related Paris sites help explain the story?

Two other sites can help visitors separate the people, artworks, and places involved. The Auguste Comte monument at Place de la Sorbonne is a different work. It includes a representation of Clotilde de Vaux within a larger monument to Comte. The Buste de Clotilde de Vaux in the 11th arrondissement is the Villares bronze documented on this page.

The Maison d’Auguste Comte is at 10 rue Monsieur-le-Prince in the 6th arrondissement. Its site lists Tuesday and Wednesday opening hours of 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., with an adult admission price of EUR 4. Check its official page before travelling, since opening times can change. The house preserves objects associated with Comte and Clotilde, including a chair identified as hers.

Site	What it adds	How to use it
Square Clotilde de Vaux	The Villares bronze bust donated in 1989	Use the 11th-arrondissement passage address
Place de la Sorbonne	A separate monument to Auguste Comte that includes a figure of Clotilde	Use it to understand the public commemoration of Comte
Maison d’Auguste Comte	Objects and biography connected with Comte and Clotilde	Check the museum’s own opening details before visiting

How can you add the bust to a Paris itinerary?

Add the square to a flexible walking route through the 11th arrondissement, then continue toward the Marais or Bastille according to your plans. The bust works best as a short, focused stop for readers interested in public art, women commemorated in Paris, or the history of ideas. If your time is limited, prioritize the exact location and the two or three verified details above over a long detour.

For broader planning, see our things to do in Paris guide and the nearby Maison Colbert member of Melia Collection hotel profile. ParisTopTen may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you, when you book through selected partner links. If you are adding major attractions to the same day, compare current options for the Louvre.

You can also browse Paris travel ideas on TripAdvisor or review current Paris attraction options on TripAdvisor.

Sources and update method

Last updated July 21, 2026. This page was checked against the Musee d’Orsay monument catalogue, the City of Paris public-art record, and the Maison d’Auguste Comte biography. Check a current transit map before travelling because service conditions can change.