Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18
MonumentHidden Treasure
Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18, located in Pessac (Gironde), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Pessac, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8055, -0.6308
- Mérimée Reference
- PA33000190
Tormented work by Gaston Leroux-Veneuvot unveiled in 1927 following a high-profile court case, this monument in Pessac pays homage to the poilus with a rare sculptural intensity, combining bravery and sacrifice.
History
In the heart of Pessac, a town in the Bordeaux metropolitan area, the Monument aux Morts de la Grande Guerre stands out for its poignantly sober sculptural composition, in stark contrast to conventional commemorative obelisks. Here, there is no triumphant victory or abstract allegory: a human, carnal scene in which the pain of the conflict takes shape under the chisel of an ambitious, uncompromising sculptor. The whole, created by Gaston Leroux-Veneuvot, offers a double-sided reading of a rare narrative coherence. On the front, a standing soldier, straight in his poilu uniform, watches over two wounded comrades lying at his feet - a human pyramid that evokes both the fraternity of arms and the unbearable weight of survival. On the opposite side, the allegorical figure of a grave and silent France bears the names of local victims, transforming the stone into a living memorial. A visit to this monument is an experience not only of contemplation but also of attentive observation: the anatomical details of the wounded bodies, the tension in the faces and the texture of the military clothing bear witness to a sculptural work of great maturity. Visitors are invited to walk around the work to grasp all its dimensions, just as they would walk around a major sculpture in the round in a museum. Two additional plaques were added at a later date to honour those who fell in the Second World War, adding to the symbolic value of the site and making it a place of remembrance that is doubly rooted in the 20th century. Listed as a Monument Historique in 2015, this monument now enjoys the national recognition that its artistic quality and eventful history have long deserved. Pessac, a rapidly expanding town in the inter-war period, was a special breeding ground for this type of public commission: a community steeped in tradition, keen to honour its dead, but also riven by the political and artistic tensions typical of the period. The monument is the most vivid reflection of this.
Architecture
The monument takes the form of a central stele, a sober architectural support whose classical frontality is subverted by the sculptural composition in the round that stands out from it. This duality between the architectural background - the stele, a flat surface designed to accommodate the engraved names - and the autonomous sculptural volume is characteristic of the formal research of post-Great War French commemorative monuments, which sought to go beyond the simple epigraphic monument to achieve a more expressive plastic dimension. On the main side, the sculpted group features three male figures: a standing soldier in battle dress, whose verticality expresses both resistance and vigilance; at his feet, two wounded soldiers whose twisting bodies introduce a dramatic dynamic into the composition. This three-level pyramid arrangement - standing, kneeling, lying down - is a tried and tested plastic solution in academic sculpture, but one that Leroux-Veneuvot manages to endow with genuine emotional tension. The reverse of the stele features a female allegorical figure representing France, a common iconographic treatment but one that is soberly incorporated here. The materials used are probably limestone or granite, noble and durable materials traditionally used for this type of public commission in the South-West. The two additional elements added to commemorate the dead of the Second World War are in formal continuity with the rest of the work, demonstrating a desire for visual homogeneity that respects the original work.
Related Figures
Gaston Leroux-Veneuvot — sculpteur auteur de l'œuvre, réalisée en 1922Les soldats pessacais morts durant la Grande Guerre (1914-1918) — dont les noms sont gravés sur la stèleLes combattants pessacais de la Seconde Guerre mondiale (1939-1945) — honorés par les plaques ajoutées ultérieurementLes élus municipaux de Pessac des années 1920 — commanditaires du monument et parties adverses dans le procèsLes habitants de Pessac — dépositaires de la mémoire du monument depuis 1927
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18 located?
Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18 is located in Pessac, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18 built?
Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18 dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18 open to visitors?
Monument aux Morts de la guerre 14-18 is currently closed to visitors.