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Origin and history

The Saint-Hilaire Chapel, located in Douaumont-Vaux, is a sheltered chapel erected at the site of the old church of the village destroyed during the First World War. It retains the same orientation as the original building, and the path to it corresponds to the old axis linking the church to the village. Surrounded by a plant hedge reminiscent of the wall of the fallen cemetery, the site houses some burials. Its cross-shaped plan, consisting of a porch, a nave, a transept and a circular choir, is inspired by that of the Bezonvaux chapel, designed by the same architect.

The chapel is one of nine memorial buildings built between 1930 and 1934 to perpetuate the memory of the Meusian villages "dead for France", declared uninhabitable after the ravages of the war. These villages, although not rebuilt, retain a symbolic administrative existence. The chapels, financed by titles of war damage, serve as memorial witnesses for the missing communities. The Saint-Hilaire chapel, designed by architect Marcel Delangle, is distinguished by a larger and less slender silhouette than that of Bezonvaux.

Classified as a Historical Monument by order of 15 December 2021, the chapel and its ground are fully protected. It belongs to the commune of Douaumont-Vaux, in the Meuse department, in the Grand Est region. Its location, marked by an approximate location (accuracy noted 5/10), recalls the tragic history of the villages destroyed by the conflict and the desire to preserve their memories.

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