France is sending a miniature Statue of Liberty to the United States to help celebrate their 245th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, according to CNN.
The bronze statue, dubbed the “little sister,” is a 9-foot tall, 992-pound recreation of the original Statue of Liberty, where it had been initially installed at the National Museum of Arts and Crafts (CNAM) in Paris since 2011, CNN reported on Wednesday.
A ceremony was held for the packaging, lifting and loading of the statue into a special container, according to CNN, which also took place on June 6, the 77-year anniversary of D-Day during World War Two. (RELATED: Are French People Grateful For The United States’ Help During World War II?)
The Statue of Liberty’s “little sister” is leaving Paris for New York City ahead of Independence Day. A gift from France to America, it will first be displayed on Ellis Island and will then stay in Washington, DC, for 10 years. https://t.co/feYblNSK2h pic.twitter.com/1SiDiaUe87
— CNN (@CNN) June 9, 2021
“We want to send a very simple message: Our friendship with the United States is very important, particularly at this moment,” Olivier Faron, the General Administer for the CNAM, told CNN regarding the statue. “We have to conserve and defend our friendship.”
The statue is expected to board a ship in the port of Le Havre in France on June 19, before arriving in New York on July 1, CNN reported.
The miniature statue is expected to be erected on Ellis Island between July 1 to July 5 during the celebration of Independence Day, CNN reported.
The statue will be repackaged and sent to Washington D.C. on July 5, according to CNN, where it will remain on display at the French Ambassador’s residence for the next 10 years.