Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale
Monument
Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale, located in Montreuil (Pas-de-Calais), 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
- Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.4642, 1.7613
- Mérimée Reference
- PA62000137
In Montreuil-sur-Mer, this sculpted group called "Reconnaissance" unites a winged Victory with a Poilu in a poignant embrace. One hundred and eight names engraved in stone, a work inaugurated in 1921 and listed as a Historic Monument.
History
In the heart of Montreuil, a medieval town in the Pas-de-Calais region perched on its age-old ramparts, the First World War Monument to the Fallen stands out as one of the most moving reminders of the sacrifice made by the town's sons and daughters between 1914 and 1918. Far from the coldness of some impersonal obelisks, this monument stands out for the human warmth of its sculptural composition, known by the evocative name of "Reconnaissance". The central group brings together, in a gesture of sober tenderness, a winged Victory placing a kiss on the forehead of a Poilu. This allegory - at once triumphant and intimate - transcends purely commemorative language to reach an almost lyrical dimension. The winged figure not only celebrates military victory; it embodies a nation's eternal gratitude to those who gave their all. This iconographic choice, relatively rare in the corpus of French war memorials, gives the work a remarkable singularity within the rich heritage of Montreuil. Visitors can see the whole from a wrought-iron grille that frames and enhances the composition without isolating it from view. The stele accompanying the sculpted group is crowned with the coat of arms of the town of Montreuil, a reminder of the municipal identity of this collective mourning. The 108 names of the "Children of Montreuil who died for their country" are carefully engraved, transforming the marble or stone into a civic and memorial register of touching precision. The visit, short in duration but long in resonance, invites us to meditate on the price of peace. Montreuil, a garrison town and historic stronghold, gives this monument a special context: the very walls that have long embodied military power form a backdrop steeped in history. Photographers and lovers of local history will find plenty to contemplate, whatever the season.
Architecture
The monument is made up of two distinct but complementary elements: a group sculpted in the round and a commemorative stele. The sculptural group, the centrepiece of the whole, represents a winged Victory - an allegorical figure inherited from Greco-Roman antiquity - gently bending down to embrace on her forehead a Poilu in Great War uniform. This dialogue between the immortal allegory and the flesh-and-blood soldier embodies the commemorative aesthetic characteristic of the first quarter of the 20th century, influenced by the symbolism and figurative realism of French sculpture at the time (in the tradition of the great Parisian workshops of the Third Republic). The stele, which is both a textual support and an architectural element, is topped with the heraldic arms of the town of Montreuil, anchoring the monument in its municipal identity. The 108 names of the soldiers who died for their country run across its surface, engraved in a sober, legible order. The monument rests on a raised plinth that gives it a strong presence in the public space, inviting the eye to look up at the sculpted figures. The ensemble is enclosed by a wrought-iron grille, a typical architectural feature of memorials from the inter-war period, which defines a symbolic perimeter without cutting off the work from the view of passers-by. The materials used - limestone and metal - are typical of the sculptural production of this period, combining durability and formal nobility.
Related Figures
Douglas Haig — Maréchal britannique dont le Grand Quartier Général était installé à Montreuil de 1916 à 1919Les 108 soldats de Montreuil morts pour la France (1914-1918) — dont les noms sont gravés sur la stèleLes combattants montreuillois de la Seconde Guerre mondiale — ajoutés à la liste mémorielle en 1951Les soldats morts en Indochine — également commémorés lors de la mise à jour de 1951Les élus municipaux de Montreuil (1919-1921) — initiateurs de la commande du monument
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale located?
Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale is located in Montreuil, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
When was Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale built?
Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale open to visitors?
Monument aux morts de la Première Guerre Mondiale is currently closed to visitors.