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Origin and history

The American cemetery of Romagna-sous-Montfaucon, officially named World War I Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, is a military funeral site located east of Romagna-sous-Montfaucon, in the department of Meuse (Lorraine). It covers 52 hectares and houses the remains of 14,246 American soldiers who died mainly during the Meuse-Argonne offensive (1918), a decisive battle of the First World War. This cemetery is the most important in Europe for the American military of this period.

The site is characterized by a field of tombstones organized in rectangular rows, leading to a chapel decorated with stained-glass windows depicting the insignia of American units. A bronze screen separates the foyer from the chapel, where the flags of the Allied nations are displayed. The adjacent memorial loggias contain a map of the Meuse-Argonne offensive and the names of 954 missing or unidentified soldiers. The cemetery also includes the graves of many Americans who died during the expedition to North Russia (1918-1919).

The cemetery was added to the additional inventory of historical monuments in 2017 and on 20 September 2023 joined the 139 World War I memorial sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This dual status underlines its historic and symbolic importance, both for the United States and for the collective memory of the Great War in Europe.

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