Cimetière du Canet

Hidden within Marseille’s 14th arrondissement lies the Cimetière du Canet. It’s a place where stories intertwine with overgrown weeds and forgotten names. The Cimetière du Canet is more than just a cemetery. It’s a reflection of Marseille’s complex past and present. A chilling tale unfolds within the walls of Cimetière du Canet, involving a notorious figure known as “Francis le Belge.” Francis Vanverberghe, a prominent figure in Marseille’s underworld, met a violent end in Paris, assassinated by a motorcycle hit squad. He rests here, his identity obscured on the family tomb. The Cimetière du Canet holds more than just the secrets of the underworld. Here lies Henri Romanetti, a Companion of the Liberation. Romanetti’s story is one of bravery and sacrifice. A mechanic in the Navy, he escaped Tunisia in 1940 to join the Free French Air Forces. He flew countless dangerous missions as a gunner-mechanic. His plane was shot down near Falaise while flying at low altitude. Initially buried near Saint-Pierre-la-Vieille Church in Calvados, his remains were later moved to Cimetière du Canet to rest alongside his brother Joseph, who also fell in combat just three months earlier. You can find his grave in section 3, interior row, east perimeter, tomb number 12. But Cimetière du Canet holds a more recent story as well. One of neglect and community outrage. Following a period of lockdown, the cemetery became overgrown, a scene of wild vegetation swallowing the tombstones. Visitors like Marjorie Di Meglio were heartbroken to find the graves of their loved ones inaccessible, lost in a sea of weeds. The state of disrepair, however, predates the lockdown. Locals recall years of neglect, broken tombstones, and unraked leaves. While the city blames the lockdown and the ban on chemical herbicides, some argue that this is a long-standing issue. The Cimetière du Canet stands as a silent testament to Marseille’s history, from its criminal underworld to its wartime heroes, and the ongoing struggle to maintain its memory.