A beloved statue that was stolen from the small French village of Montcuq in the Lot region 35 years ago has been miraculously recovered, restored, and will soon return to its rightful place. The Montcuq Manneken Pis, a local replica of Brussels' famous peeing boy statue, disappeared mysteriously in 1990 and was rediscovered this past spring in a remarkable turn of events that has captured the hearts of villagers.

The story begins with Jean Combarieu, a beloved local figure born in 1900 who passed away in 1991. By trade a plumber and roofer, Combarieu was an artist at heart with the rare gift of bringing life and joy to everything around him. Always smiling, elegant, and charming, he possessed genuine humility and generosity combined with the heart of a troubadour, spreading art wherever he went like others might scatter flowers.

Combarieu was a man of many talents - painter, sculptor, poet, gardener, and organizer of joyful moments. He arranged festivals and shows in Montcuq's Montmartre district, bringing an unmistakable touch of whimsy to daily life. He even built a tennis court for anyone who wanted to try or practice the sport. His house, now gone, overflowed with objects of his creation, furniture heavy with history, paintings by his hand, and unusual elements, all carrying a piece of his soul.

Among his numerous works, one piece remained particularly dear to those who knew it: a statue made of plaster, clay, and cement depicting a little boy urinating, nicknamed the Montcuq Manneken Pis as a nod to Brussels' famous statue. Offered to the community by Jean himself, the statue was inaugurated in 1955 on Petit Rapporteur Street. Fed by overflow from a pipeline, it served as a fountain and for 35 years was part of the Montcuq landscape, both amusing and familiar to residents.

But in 1990, the statue mysteriously disappeared in what appeared to be a theft that was never solved. The unclear reasons for this disappearance became lost in unspoken secrets and silent mysteries that perhaps only the stones and walls of Montcuq still whisper on stormy evenings. The statue was occasionally spotted here and there in surrounding villages, seeming to follow a wandering path that no one could explain.

Then, in March 2025, it resurfaced. Hidden in the back garden of a recently purchased house in Montcuq, it was rediscovered by new owners who knew nothing of its history. Once informed about the statue's significance, they immediately wished to return it to the community - a generous gesture filled with respect and honesty that demonstrated great character and unquestionable values.

However, the statue was in terrible condition: broken, decapitated, and patched up, marked by time's passage. This prompted a discrete but passionate mobilization effort. Two Montcuq residents recovered the statue and entrusted it to one of the village's emblematic artists: Hugo, whose real name is Hugues Thomas.

In 2004, this artist had already paid tribute to Jean Combarieu by creating his own humorous and tender work called "le petit Montcuquois" (the little Montcuq boy) - a statue showing a small figure seen from behind with round buttocks. This was a double wink, both to Combarieu's disappeared sculpture and to the village's delightful name. Since then, legend says that touching the little Montcuq boy's buttocks brings good luck, and one need only see the polished stone of this emblematic posterior to measure how much visitors believe in this tradition.

The circle is now nearly complete as Hugo carefully and respectfully restores the statue in an approach focused on transmission, living memory, and love of heritage. This gesture of one artist honoring another carries something rare: the respectful transmission of an inheritance, an extended hand between two generations of creators, and the desire to keep alive the memory of both a man and a place.

This restoration, undertaken with meticulous care and reflection, is also the fruit of village solidarity and collective attachment to local heritage. The restoration naturally has a cost but also great symbolic value, and it's thanks to several good-hearted individuals that the project is becoming reality. The generous gesture of the new property owners where the statue was recovered, Hugo's commitment to undertake its restoration, and the strong involvement of Sébastien Aussaresses, president of the "Montcuq Yesterday and Today" association, are making this beautiful surprise possible.

To support this unexpected adventure, a crowdfunding campaign will be launched on the Ulule website. It aims to finance not only the restoration of the Montcuq Manneken Pis but also to support initiatives for enhancing the village's cultural heritage through the "Montcuq Yesterday and Today" association. To participate, people can visit the Ulule site and search for the campaign titled "Restauration du Manneken Pis Montcuquois."

Since the campaign is still being created, interested parties should contact the association, which will send the link by email. All information will also be shared on the Facebook group "Tu es de Montcuq si" (You're from Montcuq if). It was actually on this Facebook group that the statue's location was revealed. Everyone is strongly encouraged to participate in this crowdfunding effort, and it's also possible to donate directly to the association. Every gesture counts, and every euro helps bring this work back to life - a work that has always belonged to the heart of Montcuq and should never have left.

The story will take a new turn on Sunday, August 24, at 11 a.m. during the official inauguration of the restored Manneken Pis, which will be displayed at Montcuq's town hall - a location it will now keep for posterity. The invitation is open to everyone: villagers, tourists, vacationers, and the curious, to discover together the new face of this miraculous statue. On that day, the village will recover a piece of its soul, repaired, saved, and transmitted.

Thanks to such unifying initiatives that carry the memory of the common good, it's certain that high above, beyond the clouds and stars, Jean Combarieu observes his work's return with a peaceful smile. For those wishing to contact the association, they can reach out via email at assohierauj@gmail.com or by phone at 06 82 46 60 00.