Beneath these weathered stones at Cimetiere de Pontoise lie stories of revolution invention and art. This is not just a cemetery it is a chronicle etched in stone. Here rest figures who shaped Pontoise and France.
Cimetiere de Pontoise opened in the first half of the 19th century. It is an old urban cemetery. Some paths are lined with boxwood. Many tombs show their age. Grilles surround some old graves.
Let us seek out some notable residents. Jeanne Louise Musquinet is here. She lived from 1743 to 1828. Her epitaph recounts her sons early deaths. Victor Emmanuel Leclerc was a general. He served in Saint Domingue. N.M. comte Leclerc des Essarts was a maréchal de camp. J.L comte Leclec was a legislator. He was also a prefect. She was the mother of General Leclerc. He was Pauline Bonaparte’s husband.
A statue called La Paix stands here. It replaced an earlier statue. The Souvenir Francais erected that statue in 1909. It honored fighters from 1870. The Germans melted it down in 1943. The current statue was erected in 1984.
Many tombs at Cimetiere de Pontoise have lost their busts. Charles de Boisbrunet once had one. He was an intendant general. Cordier’s tomb is missing its bust. He was a Pontoise priest. So is Doctor Gaboriau’s.
Charles Leon rests here too. He was an illegitimate son of Napoleon I. He was buried in a common grave.
René Binet is buried here. He was an activist. He shifted from Trotskyism to fascism and Nazism.
Henri Le Charpentier rests here. He wrote books about Pontoise.
Gustave Loiseau is interred in Cimetiere de Pontoise. He painted landscapes. He captured the many faces of Pontoise in the 19th century.
Arsène Michot is another resident. He managed the Théâtre Lyrique Impérial. His tomb features a damaged angel musician.
General Nicolas Schmitz is also here. He began his career during the Revolution. He fought in the Empire’s campaigns. His tomb is a classic obelisk. His deeds and battles are etched on it. He ended his career commanding Pontoise’s National Guard. His son is also commemorated here. He died at the Battle of Sevastopol.
Georges William Thornley rests in Cimetiere de Pontoise. He lithographed works by Monet and Pissarro. He focused on the Vexin and the Côte d’Azur.
Eugène Turpin is among the notable interments. He invented melinite an explosive. Jules Verne used him as inspiration. He was the basis for a character in Face au drapeau.
Two British airmen also rest here. They died on June 1 1944.
The Cimetiere de Pontoise is more than a burial ground. It is a place of remembrance. It is a place of reflection. It connects us to the past.