The siege of September 1792 was one of the many battles fought during the French Revolutionary Wars and considered a major event in the city's history by its inhabitants, despite its relatively low military significance on a wider scale.

For nine days and nights, the Austrians bombarded the city without intermission, but had ultimately to raise the siege, faced with the determined resistance of the citizens, led by Mayor François André.

Hyacinthe Jadin composed his Marche du siège de Lille in 1792, in the direct aftermath of the siege.

The column was designed by the architect Charles Benvignat, while the statue was sculpted by Théophile Bra as an allegory of the besieged city wearing a mural crown.

It was nicknamed the Goddess by the inhabitants of Lille soon after the erection of the memorial, as some local poems suggest.