102 white crosses: the renovation of the Saint-Lazare military square, in Montpellier, inaugurated to commemorate May 8, 45

Élus, institutionnels et anciens combattants réunis ce mercredi matin au cimetière Saint-Lazare, devant le carré militaire. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

À l’occasion du 79e anniversaire de la victoire des alliés sur l’Allemagne nazie, le maire de Montpellier, le préfet et l’association du Souvenir français ont inauguré un carré militaire rénové après plusieurs années en état d’abandon.

This Wednesday, May 8, the Saint-Lazare cemetery hosted the 79th anniversary of the victory ceremony of the Second World War. The chosen location: the mixed military square inaugurated at the end of this morning, by Michaël Delafosse, mayor of Montpellier, and the prefect of Hérault François-Xavier Lauch.

Over 500 square meters

The renovation of the military square and the tribute were carried out by the Montpellier committee of French Souvenir, the first memorial association in France. 500 square meters house the graves of soldiers who died for France during the conflicts of 39-45 but also during the Great War or the wars in Indochina and Algeria.< /p>

In the heart of the cemetery, 102 white Latin crosses are arranged in 3 rows. According to Michaël Delafosse, the tombs were in a state of abandonment. "It’is a very important role for a municipality to take care of these graves. We honored people who should never be forgotten, he declared.

"An important place of combatant memory"

Under the French and European flags installed around the square and on the central mausoleum, we listened to the Ode to joy&amp ;nbsp;and La Marseillaise. This is the first time that this ceremony has taken place at this location. "This is an opportunity for many Montpellier residents to discover this important place of combatant memory. The mayor also underlined the importance of international law in relation to the Ukrainian war, as well as the presence of many young people at the event. "They must be there to defend the culture of peace".

920 soldiers' graves

The Saint-Lazare cemetery has a total of 920 graves of soldiers who lost their lives for France. Please note that the Esplanade war memorial will be operational again at the end of the work on November 11, 2025.