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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Nogent-sur-Seine, made by sculptor Alfred Boucher, was inaugurated in 1921. It is inspired by the Pietà theme, representing an allegory of the homeland kissing a dying soldier. This artistic choice symbolizes the sacrifice of the First World War fighters, while humanizing collective pain. The sculpture, about two meters high, is executed in cement, a material evoking the muddy earth of the trenches, thus strengthening its memorial and emotional anchor.

At the back of the figure of the expirant soldier, Boucher added in 1920 the watchman's: an elderly Poilu, draped in a coat, holding his rifle against his chest. This duality between sacrificed youth and resistance of former soldiers enriches the symbolic scope of the work. The monument, protected since 2011, is the property of the municipality and throne of Place d'Armes, in the heart of Nogent-sur-Seine. Its location and composition make it a major gathering place for local memory.

Alfred Boucher, a renowned sculptor, prints this monument with an intimate and universal dimension. The technique of cement, rare for the time, and the theme of the last kiss distinguish this work from monuments to more conventional dead. Ranked among the Historical Monuments, it testifies to artistic innovation in the service of commemoration, while reflecting the trauma of a generation marked by war.

The location of the monument, noted as satisfactory a priori (level 6/10), and its precise address (place d'Armes) facilitate its access to the public. Sources, including Monumentum, highlight its heritage importance in the Aube department and the Grand Est region, formerly Champagne-Ardenne. Enrolment in the inventory in 2011 devotes its historical and artistic value.

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