Sillery French national war cemetery
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
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Bringing together almost 12,000 bodies, this national military cemetery contains the remains of French soldiers who died in the fighting that took place in defence of Reims, from September 1914 to autumn 1918. This cemetery was established from 1923 onwards for the remains of soldiers exhumed from isolated graves or various temporary cemeteries in the region. Today, in the name of the Great War, it contains the remains of 11,228 French soldiers including 5,548 buried in two ossuaries, and 2 Czech servicemen. Many soldiers from colonial units fell in the defence of the Fort de la Pompelle. Until 1933, before being transferred to Prague, the body of Lumir Brezovsky was buried here. He was the first Czechoslovak volunteer killed on 10 December 1914 at Marquise. There are also the bodies of 29 servicemen who died for France in 1939-1945 and who have been laid to rest there.
Dedicated to graveless soldiers, a chapel-mausoleum was erected at this military cemetery. This idea was supported by the Abbé Fendler, priest of Sillery and president of the Comité du Mausolée des Batailles de Champagne. Presented in 1925, at the International Exhibition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris, this monument was erected thanks to an international fund and was designed by the architect Adolphe Proust. Framing the forged iron gate created by iron craftsman Marcel Decrion, the sculptures were created in fresh concrete, by Edouard Sediey. The window is by the master glassmaker Jacques Simon. Inside the mausoleum are three commemorative plaques provided by the families. The first stone of this building was laid on 19 September 1926 during the ceremony to commemorate the battles of Fort de la Pompelle and Sillery.
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
La nécropole nationale de Sillery. © ECPAD
Cantonnement français situé dans le secteur de La Harazée. © ECPAD
Soldat français occupant un poste de tireur doté d'un fusil lebel avec périscope, secteur de la Mare, Sillery, 1915. © ECPAD
Entrée du cimetière provisoire de Sillery, 1915. © Collection BDIC
Abris occupés par des soldats russes, Sillery, 1917. © Collection BDIC
Fossés endommagés du fort de la Pompelle. © ECPAD
Ruines de l'église de Sillery. © ECPAD
Practical information
Sillery
À 10 km au sud-est de Reims, sur la D 8
Visites libres toute l’année
Summary
Eléments remarquables
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CRDP de Champagne-Ardennes
Centre régional de documentation pédagogique
17, boulevard de la Paix
51063 Reims
Tél. : 03 26 49 58 58
Comité Départemental du Tourisme de la Marne
13 bis, rue Carnot
51006 Châlons-en-Champagne
Tél. : 03 26 68 37 52
