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Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Abbévillers, located in the Doubs department in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is a tribute to the 18 inhabitants who died during the First World War. It is distinguished by its architectural integration: a medium-relief in white marble embedded under the porch of the town hall, at 35 Grande Rue. The work represents a young girl in traditional local costume, the diaichotte, holding a laurel and a banner with the names of the missing soldiers. Agricultural symbols (gerb, plough) recall the rural vocation of the commune, while the coat of arms of Abbévillers crown the whole. An inscription pays tribute to the "CHAMP OF HONOUR 1914-1918.".

The monument is the work of the sculptor Armand Bloch (1866-1933), native of Montbéliard, specialist of funeral and memorial monuments. The project was launched in 1919 by the town hall, with a cost estimate of 11,700 francs signed in February 1920. Bloch, formed in Paris and close to the franco-comtois networks, here realizes a work typical of his style, combining patriotic symbolism and local references. The artist's choice could be linked to Julie Vergon, Abbévillers' teacher and Bloch's first cousin, thus facilitating the order. The monument was inaugurated in 1921, shortly after the reconstruction of the town hall school (1877-1901) by architect Jean Frédéric Jules Fallot.

The carved female figure, dressed in the traditional Lutheran costume of Montbéliard (fichu diairi, apron), could represent Elisabeth Vergon (1900-1993), daughter of the teacher and future painter. Trained in the Decorative Arts of Paris, she regarded Bloch as her master. This monument, among the 11 made by the artist in the region between 1919 and 1924, illustrates the post-war period in Franche-Comté: rural communes, often Protestants, honoring their deaths with works with strong local identity. Ranked a Historic Monument in December 2022, it embodies both collective mourning and regional pride.

Abbevillers, a village then deeply rural and Protestant, reflects through this monument the values of resilience and memory. The plow and the wheat wreath highlight the agricultural anchor, while the laurel and the standard evoke the military sacrifice. The location under the porch of the town hall, the central place of community life, reinforces its role as a place of recollection and transmission. White marble, a noble material, contrasts with the simplicity of the frame, symbolizing the elevation of local heroes. This monument, both artistic and historical, bears witness to the cultural and family networks that shaped the Franche-Comté after the Great War.

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