Monument to the dead

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Saint-André, located on the island of La Réunion, was inaugurated on September 14, 1938 in front of the town hall. Designed by architect Jean Delune, it is decorated with a bronze bas-relief by sculptor Maxime Real del Sarte. The latter, trained in Fine Arts and wounded during the First World War, marked commemorative art with works mixing religious and patriotic symbols, as this Pieta evoking the sacrifice of the soldiers.

In 1983, the monument was moved across the street, where it now overlooks the cemetery. It was listed as a historical monument on 4 August 2021. The bas-relief, typical of the funeral iconography of the inter-war period, combines a Mater dolorosa with realistic details of soldiers, illustrating national mourning and the cult of sacrifice.

Maxime Real del Sarte, known for his political commitments and commemorative works, has also created statues of Joan of Arc. Its style, combining religious tradition and modernity, reflects the artistic and ideological tensions of the time. The Saint-André monument, owned by the commune, remains a testament to this pivotal period in the history of Réunion and France.

The work is part of an island context marked by the commemoration of world conflicts, where monuments to the dead become places of collective memory. In Réunion, as in metropolitan France, these buildings symbolize both the homage to the disappeared and the affirmation of a local identity within the framework of the Republic.

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