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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Saint-Hilaire de Marville Cemetery surrounds the old parish church of the same name, abandoned in the 13th century in favor of a new church built in the village. This primitive place of worship, too far away, left room for a remarkable cemetery, preserving an ossuary, funeral edicles and tombs dating from the 15th to the 20th century. These elements make it a high place of funeral art in Lorraine, marked by protective interventions since the end of the 19th century.

In the 1875s, the oldest and most fragile tombs were moved inside the chapel by Curé Frignet and Mayor Pognon, on the recommendation of an inspector of the Historical Monuments. The first official protections took place in 1905 and 1907, with the classification of the funerary, benign and tombstones preserved in the chapel. In 1909, the external elements (statues, bas-reliefs, inscriptions) were classified, followed in 1931 by the entire cemetery, including its fence wall, the ossuary, the guardian's house and all the carved remains.

The evolution of the site reflects the funeral practices of Lorraine, from medieval burials to modern movements of tombs for their preservation. In 1974, an investigation reported that several monuments still in situ had since been transferred to the chapel, illustrating active heritage management. The cemetery, a communal property, remains a unique testimony of local religious and artistic traditions, protected for its historical and aesthetic value.

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