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Heritage classified

Origin and history

The cemetery of Sèvres-Anxaumont is distinguished by its 14th century cross, classified by decree of 14 August 1928. This cross, the oldest in the region among those studied, is composed of a base, a mulled barrel and a cross, typical of medieval funeral monuments. Its current location, around the church, suggests continuity with medieval burial practices, where cemeteries were often adjacent to places of worship.

Cemetery crosses in this area have varying characteristics: some, such as Sèvres-Anxaumont, date from the Middle Ages, while others (Bonnes, Tercé) were erected or restored in the 18th to 19th centuries. The bases and drums were sometimes reused, as in La Chapelle-Moulière or Liniers, but the crosses themselves, more fragile, were often redone. In Sèvres-Anxaumont, the original cross was preserved, unlike other sites where replacements took place.

The cemetery of Sèvres-Anxaumont is one of the only two still surrounding a church in the area, with that of Bonnes. This arrangement reflects an ancient tradition, where the crosses often marked collective burial places or re-inhumation, as in Pouillé, where bones of the old cemetery were moved. The absence of accurate data on possible cured buried at the foot of the local cross, however, leaves areas shadowing its social history.

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