The monument was created in 1924: a competition was launched to create a national monument in tribute to the soldiers and sailors who died in the East and in distant lands.
The chosen project is the one of the Bouches-du-Rhône's chief architect, Gaston Castel, who is notably the author of the reconstruction of the municipal opera house and the Baumettes prison.
The monument was finally inaugurated on April 24, 1927 by the French President Gaston Doumergue. Based on the concept of a "portico in the open sky", the statues and ornaments refer to army fighters, such as the air force, with massive female figures with wings symbolizing heroism.
