Combined War Memorial Soissons - Soissons - Picardie / France - World War I Memorials and Monuments on Waymarking.com

Commemorates the died inhabitants of Soissons
- First and Second World War
- Korean War (1950-1953)
- Wars Indochina (1946-1954)
- War Algeria (1954-1962) and Lebanon.

Statues by Albert Bartholomé
Bas Reliefs by Raoul Lamourdedieu

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At Soissons, the war memorial has statues by Albert Bartholomé and a series of bas-reliefs by sculptor and medallist Raoul Lamourdedieu. It was as late as 21 July 1935 that Soissons finally saws her monument aux morts unveiled by the President, Albert Lebrun. The Soissons monument had first been designed by Bartholome in 1914 as a monument to celebrate the history of Soissons but it was decided to create the memorial as the City's monument aux morts and it was erected in 1926. However the Great War veterans ("Les Anciens Combattants") were unhappy with Bartholome's statue of a woman at the very top of the monument, the so-called "Dame Blanche", and after much discussion the "Dame Blanche" was moved to a position in the St Crepin park and eventually replaced on the top of the monument aux morts by the four men carrying an "eternal flame" which was completed by a pupil of Lamourdedieu. The monument comprises a central pedestal with the "eternal flame" at the very top and Lamourdedieu's reliefs are on the sides of the pedestal. At each corner of the monument are Bartholome statues. In the middle section of the pedestal there are bas-reliefs on the south and east facing sides. In one Lamourdedieu depicts a group of soldiers and in the other a winged female figure representing "Victory" protects another two soldiers, one of whom is wounded. On the west facing side of the lower part of the pedestal the bas-relief depicts the King of France and Joan of Arc entering Soissons on horseback on 23 June 1429 and on the south facing side the bas-relief depicts the story of the "Vase of Soissons". A soldier is seen crushing the vase under the eyes of Clovis and the messengers of St Remigius. The north facing bas-relief shows the evacuation of the City. The statue on the north west side depicted a "citizen" holding a scroll. The inscription reads

"1181. Abolition des Servitudes Feodales a Soissons"

In the south west corner is a knight carrying a sword. The inscription tells his story

"923. Carolingien defenseur de Soissons. Capital Franque"

The south east and north east facing corners have statues depicting French soldiers of the Great War.

Private or Public Monument?: Government Name of the Private Organization or Government Entity that built this Monument: Government of Soissons Geographic Region where the Monument is located: Europe Website for this Monument: [Web Link] Physical Address of Monument: Place Fernand Marquigny Soissons, Picardie France 02200 Rate this waymark: Photo or photos will be uploaded.: yes Date the Monument or Memorial was built or dedicated: Not listed

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