Place Gaffory

Jean-Pierre Gaffori: the defender of the Corsican nation

In the heart of the town of Corte, an imposing statue watches over the birthplace of a great name in Corsican history: Jean-Pierre Gaffori (1704-1753). Trained as a physician, he became one of the most influential leaders of the resistance against Genoese domination in the 18th century.

A man at the service of his people

First secretary to King Théodore de Neuhoff, then "president of the Mint", Jean-Pierre Gaffori became actively involved in the fight for Corsican independence. In 1745, a consulte gathered at the Couvent d'Orezzadesignates him Protector of the Corsican Nation. He was then appointed General of the Nationin 1751, even before Pascal Paoli arrived.

His goal: to drive the Genoese off the island and unify the Corsicans. But his fight came to an abrupt end: on October 3, 1753, Gaffori fell into an ambush at Saint-Pancrace, in Corte. His assassination, commissioned by the Republic of Genoa and Giovan Giacomo Grimaldi, was carried out by the Romei family, in a context of rivalry and revenge.

A memory engraved in stone

The Gaffori statue, created by sculptor Émile Adébert and inaugurated in 1900, sits proudly in front of his family home, facing the Church of the Annunciation. It is accompanied by two bas-reliefs that celebrate the General's courage... but also that of his wife, Faustina Gaffori.

These bas-reliefs contribute to the construction of a Gafforian legend. It's true that Gaffori's son was kidnapped by the Genoese in early October 1745, but he was never displayed on the castle ramparts when the General laid siege to the said castle in June 1746.

The child had been returned to his family a month after his abduction.

A famous (and romanticized) scene shows Faustina threatening to detonate a powder keg to protect their besieged home. While this episode is partly legendary, it bears witness to the heroism surrounding this female figure, an unfailing supporter of the resistance.

The Gaffori house, witness to the past

The facade of the family home (visible behind the statue) still bears the impacts of bullets and cannonballs, remnants of a confrontation that took place on September 29, 1745, during Gaffori's return from Balagne. Believing it to be an attack, the Genoese opened fire on the residence.