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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Fix-Saint-Geneys, located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, is the result of a local political conflict in the 1920s. In 1923, the municipal council supported a Volvic stone project, which was deemed unsuitable by the mayor, preferring a bronze hairy statue. After two rejected projects (one for its lack of artistic unity, the other never erected), a new municipality valid in 1926 a monument designed by architect Auguste Roux, more ambitious and approved by the prefect.

The final work, inaugurated in 1926, is distinguished by an ancient female figure, carved by Gaston Dintrat, mixing symbolism and Art Deco. His extended arms evoke the Virgin of medieval mercy. The enclosures, enlarged in 1927, included shell at angles and two German Krupp guns (model 1904), seized during the First World War. These metal and plant elements create a hybrid composition, unique in the region.

The monument is listed as a historical monument in 2019 for its artistic and memorial value. Its history reflects the local tensions around the commemoration, between regionalist tradition (Volvic stone) and modernity (bronze, Art Deco). The Krupp cannons, added later, recall the military legacy of the conflict, while Roux's architecture and Ditrat's sculpture make it a remarkable example of the interwar funeral art.

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