Beneath our feet lie stories of Puteaux residents. This is the Cimetiere ancien de Puteaux. It replaced the older cemetery around the church in 1848. The Cimetiere ancien de Puteaux offers a beautiful view of the capital. The Bois de Boulogne is in the foreground. It shares a border and topography with Suresnes’ new cemetery. The oldest tombs rest on the lower slope.
The Cimetiere ancien de Puteaux holds the remains of notable people. Let’s explore their stories. We will remember their lives and contributions.
Bernard Courtault rests here. He was a young man who was shot at Mont Valerien in 1943. He belonged to the Christian resistance network of the Paul Langevin high school. His last letter is reproduced on his tomb. It is a moving testament to courage and love. He wrote it to his father.
A small stele honors victims. They perished in the Mont Valerien disaster on December 20 1882. An explosion in the fortress’s cartridge factory killed 17 people. Most were female workers.
Few artworks adorn this cemetery. The statue present is a standard model. It appears in other regional cemeteries. You may notice niches at various spots. These small spaces may have housed cats. Several old chapels survive in the lowest part. They date back to the mid-19th century.
Georges Bouton is buried here. He was an engineer. In 1882 he partnered with Armand Trepardoux. They also worked with Jules de Dion. Together they built steam boilers and tricycles. Later they made steam cars. They founded the De Dion-Bouton factory in Puteaux in 1884. They invented an internal combustion engine. They patented a petroleum engine in 1890. By 1900 De Dion-Bouton became the world’s largest car maker. The company pioneered the V8 engine in 1910. It struggled after the 1929 crash. Car production ended in 1933.
Georges Grignard rests here. He was a Formula One champion. He raced in the 1951 World Championships. He drove a Talbot.
Sculptor Eugene Guittard is interred here. His stele features his bas-relief profile.
Alsatian engineer F.G. Kreutzberger is also buried here. In 1866 he set up a workshop. Most World War I arms and munitions were made there. His workshop expanded after 1872. Kreutzberger sought a larger site. He closely collaborated with the army. The army took over and renamed it the Arsenal. It produced machine tools and the famous 75 cannon.
Architect Charles Plumet rests in the Cimetiere ancien de Puteaux. He co-founded the Art for All group in 1897. This influenced Art Nouveau. He was the chief architect of the 1925 Decorative Arts Exhibition. He designed the Pelleport Saint-Fargeau and Porte des Lilas metro stations. These above-ground stations used reinforced concrete and Grenoble cement. Gentil and Bourdet ceramics adorned them. He lies beneath a stark concrete cube. It may be a Robert Mallet-Stevens design.
Jean-Baptiste Pompallier was a Lyon native. He became a bishop at 34. The Pope tasked Pompallier with evangelizing the South Pacific. This countered British Protestantism. After 13 months he arrived in New Zealand. He successfully converted the country. He integrated Catholicism with Maori traditions. He left in 1868. He never returned.
Jean Theoxene Roque de Filhol was Puteaux’s mayor in 1871. He declared the town neutral. It was caught between Versailles and the Communards. His Communard sympathies led to his arrest. He was sentenced to forced labor for life. He was deported to New Caledonia. Deputy Emile Deschanel intervened. His sentence was reduced to 20 years. He returned to France in 1879. He was elected deputy in 1881.
Lucien Voilin was Puteaux’s socialist mayor from 1912 to 1925. He was a deputy of the Seine. He later became a senator.
The Cimetiere ancien de Puteaux offers a journey through time. It reflects Puteaux’s rich history and the lives of its people.