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Origin and history

The Monument to the Dead of the Champagne Army, also known as the Ossuaire de Navarin, was inaugurated in 1924 to commemorate the soldiers who died in the First World War on the Champagne Front. Initiated by a committee chaired by General Gouraud and financed by national subscriptions, it symbolizes the tribute paid to the 102 French, American, Russian and allied divisions that fought in the region. The first stone was laid in 1923 in the presence of the American ambassador Myron Herrick, marking the Franco-American alliance.

The monument takes the form of a pyramid of pink sandstone, surmounted by a sculpture by Maxime Real del Sarte representing three soldiers (including General Gouraud) in assault. A central chapel, adorned with a war cross rose, houses the commemorative plaques of families and units. Under the pyramid, an ossuary crypt welcomes the remains of 10,000 anonymous soldiers, as well as those of generals Henri Gouraud (buried in 1948) and André-Gaston Prételat (1969), former commanders of the Fourth Army.

Ranked a historic monument in 1994, the site became a national necropolis in 2019 after its transfer to the state. Originally managed by a foundation established in 1933, it is now maintained by the Association of Remembrance to the Dead of the Champagne Army (A.S.M.A.C.), which organizes an annual commemorative ceremony in September. The name Navarin would come either from the eponymous battle, or from a local expression in patois ("n.

The monument embodies the collective memory of the Champagne fighting, with inscriptions listing the divisions engaged and tributes like that to the four sons of President Paul Doumer, who died for France. Its architecture and symbolism make it a major place of the duty of memory, attracting visitors and descendants of soldiers.

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