Struggling with the idea of relocating bodies. That was the dilemma faced when the town decided to move the Cimetière de Sèvres.
Hello. Welcome to the Cimetière de Sèvres. It is a place of rest and remembrance. It holds stories of war heroes artists and local figures.
Originally the first cemetery was near the Saint Romain church. It became too small. The town grew because of the Manufacture’s establishment in 1760. A new site was granted in 1784 behind the old château. This cemetery ran along what is now Rue des Binelles. This site also proved too small hindering development.
In 1866 the mayor wanted to move the cemetery away from public view. Land was acquired at Les Bruyères three years later. But the relocation was controversial. Families were traumatized by the thought of exhuming and moving bodies. Residents of Bellevue feared the cemetery would pollute their water sources.
The war of 1870 halted the debate. Prussian troops occupied Les Bruyères. In 1871 deaths increased due to the Commune. This prompted requests to bury bodies at Les Bruyères. Bellevue residents opposed this. Enlarging the Binelles cemetery was considered. However expropriations would bankrupt the town. The focus returned to Les Bruyères. It was demonstrated that there would be no water source contamination.
The decision to establish the Cimetière de Sèvres at Les Bruyères was made in 1874. Tombs from the Binelles cemetery were gradually transferred. This was done despite family reluctance. In 1958 an annex of the technical high school was built on the old Binelles site. It later became a college.
Today the Cimetière de Sèvres contains four monuments. They honor soldiers and war victims. The most prominent is near the entrance. It features a bas relief by Marcel Derny. It depicts a woman holding a dead young soldier. This monument was dedicated in 1989.
Since 2002 inscriptions commemorate conflicts from 1870 to 1962. The crypt beneath the monument holds seventy-seven soldiers. They fell in battles in France Indochina and North Africa. Another monument honors soldiers from Sèvres. They wished to be buried together as they fought together in World War I. This ossuary contains forty soldiers. They were buried between 1929 and 1972. A collective tomb erected in 1924 honors nine soldiers. They were not from the town but died at the Sèvres hospital during World War I.
Notable people buried here include authors Henri Conti and Champfleury. Also interred are engraver Félix Braquemond and ceramist Albert Dammouse. Hellenist Jean-Pierre Vernant and physicists Eugénie and Aimé Cotton also rest here. Former mayors Pierre Lesséré Pierre Midrin and Henri Poirot-Delpech are buried here too. Their busts adorn their tombs. A plot is reserved for former parish priests nearby.
The Cimetière de Sèvres is also known as Cimetière des Bruyères. It was founded in 1876 and opened in 1881. It spans 3.7 hectares. It features some funerary chapels. Three are listed as historical monuments. It is the final resting place for artists and employees of the Sèvres factory.
Remember the Cimetière de Sèvres. It is not just a burial ground. It’s a chronicle of lives sacrifices and artistic legacies.