Mémorial des batailles de la Marne comprenant la chapelle haute de la Reconnaissance, la crypte, la sacristie, la maison du gardien, la galerie du cloître, l'ossuaire avec sa chambre de recueillement, la lanterne des morts, le cadran solaire et la table d'orientation ainsi que les rampes et les escaliers d'accès au monument et son mur de soutènement

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The Memorial was created in memory of the 1st and 2nd Battle of the Marne (September 1914 and July 1918). It was built between 1921 and 1931, thanks to a committee led by the Duchess of Estissac (Countess of La Rochefoucauld), Cardinal Luçon, Archbishop of Reims, Monsignor Tissier Bishop of Châlons and Marshal Foch. It was the latter who chose this location overlooking the Marne valley and the town of Dormans: "It will represent the synthetic point of the two Battles of the Marne" (http://www.dormans.fr/histoire/le-memorial-des-batailles-de-la-marne/). The architecture is inspired by Gothic. The Memorial of the Battles of the Marne presents architectural interest through its execution, its sculpted decoration, its stained glass and its furnishings as it called upon renowned artists of the early 20th century as well as for its commemoration of the two victories of the Marne in 1914 and in 1918.

Description

The Memorial to the Battles of the Marne is one of four major monuments built after 1918 in memory of the First World War (along with the ossuary of Douaumont, the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Lorette and the Hartmannswillerkopf). A committee of Catholics led by Cardinal Luçon, Archbishop of Reims, Monseigneur Tissier, Bishop of Châlons and the Duchess of Estissac, launches a fundraising campaign for the construction of a chapel at Dormans, on a site chosen by Marshal Foch to commemorate the two battles of September 1914 and July 1918. They acquire the old castle of the town as well as its park. The architect Louis Marcel wins the competition for a chapel conceived as an ex-voto of gratitude and designed in a style blending Romanesque and Gothic. The works, supervised by Georges-Alexandre Closson, span from 1920 to 1931. The latter makes the more economical choice of a steel and reinforced concrete framework, with walls built in stone. The building with a Greek cross plan, set on sloping ground, is composed of an upper chapel and a lower chapel. The bell tower, at the centre, is sheltered in a square and crenellated tower 52 m high, also serving as a lantern and evoking the medieval military architect, as does the presence of loopholes on the lateral turrets. The portal is surmounted by a large gallery with a Christ the King sculpted by Firmin Michelet on the tympanum, which is also crowned with a statue of Saint Michael slaying the dragon. The upper chapel is dedicated to the victory and glory of the fighters: the great choir window, executed by Charles Lorin, represents a Christ welcoming a poilu who is presented to him by Jeanne d'Arc and Saint Michael. The windows and sculptures of the interior are adorned with the coats of arms of the French provinces and the patron saints of the armies. The crypt is consecrated to the memory of soldiers fallen in the battles of the Marne whose names are engraved in red letters on light stone. To the north of the chapel, an L-shaped cloister unfolds consisting of a series of pointed arches; it links the first building to an ossuary and a lantern of the dead.