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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Terrasson-Lavilledieu Memorial to the Dead was originally built as two separate buildings, reflecting the political tensions between the upper and lower cities. These local divisions led to the erection of two separate monuments, before their consolidation in the 1950s. The current work, set up in the city centre, embodies a poignant family scene: an amputated father, a mother leaning on a plow, and a girl symbolizing hope.

The sculptural composition evokes the social consequences of the First World War. The father, with his disability, represents the mutilated soldiers, while the mother, associated with the plow, illustrates the increased role of women in agricultural work during and after the conflict. The wheat sheaves and the girl, elements of hope, contrast with suffering, emphasizing the duality between memory and reconstruction. This monument, registered in 2014, is the work of the sculptors Graff and Carrie.

Originally, the two monuments were geographically and politically distinct, reflecting the divisions of the community. Their merger in the 1950s, in the place of Liberation, marks a symbolic reconciliation. Today, the monument, a communal property, remains a central place of memory for Terrasson-Lavilledieu, recalling both the sacrifices of the war and the resilience of the peasant families of Dordogne.

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