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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Trevillers, located in the Pays de Maîche, was erected in 1921 to commemorate the 22 inhabitants who died during the First World War. The commune, deeply Catholic, combines the neighbouring villages of Thiébouhans and Ferrières, bringing the total number of victims honoured to 40. The project, entrusted to the company Micciolo de Besançon, includes a statue of Christ carved by Louis Hertig, despite the reluctance of the prefect of the Doubs because of its religious character. The total cost is 42,000 francs, of which 18,000 are allocated to the sculptor.

The statue represents Christ holding a cross and showing his Sacred Heart, a symbol of protection invoked during the war. The inscriptions "Pro Deo and Patria" and "Vive the Christ who loves the Franks" underline the alliance between faith and homeland. Initially backed by the church, the monument was moved in 2008 between the town hall and the church porch, losing its original gates. Louis Hertig, a bisontin sculptor trained in Fine Arts, realized several monuments to the dead in the region after the war, often in collaboration with Micciolo.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2022, this monument illustrates the importance of religion in the local commemoration of the Great War. Its iconography and inscriptions reflect the values of a rural community marked by mourning and faith. The choice of a protective Christ, rather than a soldier, reflects a desire to transcend pain through spirituality, in a context where secular monuments dominate elsewhere in France.

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