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Origin and history

The Monument to the Dead of the 1914-1918 War, known as the Guardian Angel Monument, was erected at Château-Ville-Ville in the 1st quarter of the 20th century. He paid tribute to the 210 soldiers in the valley who had died during the conflict. His original iconography, a naked Gaul soldier with arms crossed on a sword, embodies patriotic strength and meditation. The Latin dedication "PAX GALLIAE" (peace for Gaul) is engraved on the base, while the other seven sides of the pyramid octagon in grey stone list the names of the disappeared, classified by village and by year.

In 1924, the sculptor Paul Gondard, originally from Marseilles, was selected to create this work. The monument was to integrate harmoniously with the surrounding natural landscape, while displaying severe sobriety. Its pyramidal composition and the marked musculature of the soldier contrast with the monuments to the more classic deaths of the region. The choice of a Gaul, symbol of resistance and national identity, reflects a desire to convey a message that is both local and universal.

Ranked Historic Monument by decree of 22 February 2010, the monument is now owned by the municipality. It is located at the place known as l'Eau d'Arvieux, in a mountainous setting of the Hautes-Alpes. Although its GPS location is approximate (accuracy noted 5/10), it remains a major artistic and memorial testimony of the post World War I in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The monument is part of a tradition of monuments to the dead that, after 1918, aimed at honouring sacrifices while affirming values of peace and resilience. In the Alpine valleys, where communities were often isolated, these works also served as a gathering point and a collective memory. The heroic nudity of the soldier, rare for the time, underscores a humanist and timeless approach to mourning.

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