First order of the monument avril 1917 (≈ 1917)
Initial project not carried out as a chapel.
20 mars 1923
Municipal deliberation
Municipal deliberation 20 mars 1923 (≈ 1923)
Launch of the current project for 39 soldiers.
1924
Implementation of work
Implementation of work 1924 (≈ 1924)
Construction of the monument by Robbe and Laethier.
1925
Opening of the monument
Opening of the monument 1925 (≈ 1925)
Official ceremony after completion.
1926
Added bas-relief
Added bas-relief 1926 (≈ 1926)
Additional work by Laethier (female in mourning).
19 décembre 2022
Classification of the monument
Classification of the monument 19 décembre 2022 (≈ 2022)
Inventory of Historical Monuments.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The monument to the dead, in its entirety, including the landscape developments located on the hill (park 76), located at National Road No. 57, Le Frambourg, on Parcel No. 76, shown in the cadastre section AC, as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree: inscription by order of 19 December 2022
Key figures
Paul Robbe - Architect and Mayor of Pontarlier
Manufacturer of the monument, veteran.
Georges Laethier - Sculptor bisontin
Author of hair and bas-reliefs.
Pautier - Architect (first project)
Author of the chapel not realized.
Origin and history
The monument to the dead of La Cluse-et-Mijoux was commissioned in April 1917 under the name "Monument of the recognition in memory of the soldiers who died for the Homeland. 1914-1917". A first project, designed by architect Pautier in the form of a decorated chapel, was never realized. The commune, located on a strategic route to Switzerland, had already played a significant military role, as when the Eastern Army retired in 1871.
In 1923, a municipal deliberation revived the project to honour the 39 children of the commune who died for France. Confed to Pontarlier's architect and socialist mayor, Paul Robbe, the monument is conceived as a symbol of peace, with a figure of vaurion stone hairy dominating a monumental staircase. The sculptures, made by Georges Laethier, include a bas-relief representing a grieving woman and two children, added in 1926 to complete the work.
The monument, inaugurated in 1925, presents itself as a cenotaph erected on a hillside along National Road 57, near Fort Joux. It includes landscape elements (public garden, benches, trees) and round-bosse trophies. Laethier, a bisontin sculptor trained at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and Besançon, has also made earth and plaster models for this project. The monument, classified in 2022, reflects a sober and symbolic desire to commemorate, typical of Robbe's achievements in the region.
The location of the monument, close to a historic fortress and a cross-border road, underscores its memorial and strategic importance. The work, carried out in 1924, was financed by the municipality at a total cost of 85,283 francs. The artistic choice, centered on peace (PAX inscription) and the figure of the watchful soldier, is part of a series of similar monuments erected by Robbe and Laethier in the Doubs, such as Jougne or Métabief.
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