Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The monument to the dead of Néris-les-Bains, erected in the first half of the 20th century, consists of two marble bas-reliefs, The Pain and The Tribute, framing a list of victims engraved on three columns. These sculptures, made by Raymonde Martin, represent women in mourning and young girls paying homage to the disappeared, creating a frozen theatre scene. The set is installed on a granite base, with a landscape environment including trees and ornamental plants.

The project was launched by a vote of the Municipal Council on 9 October 1921, entrusting its realization to a committee including local representatives, war mutilates, and educational and cultural actors. The architect Vincent Bougerolle designs the stele, while the local entrepreneurs (Clautrier for masonry) and Parisians (Bevilacqua for marble plate, Raymonde Martin for bas-reliefs) collaborate in its construction. The bas-reliefs, exhibited at the Salon du Grand Palais in 1923, were transported by truck to Néris. The monument was inaugurated on September 28, 1924, after the site was designed by horticulturalists from Néris and Montluçon.

Ranked Historic Monument by order of 28 December 2021, the monument is located boulevard des Arenes, on cadastal plot BP n°11. It symbolizes both collective mourning and community tribute to the missing soldiers, integrating a strong artistic and memorial dimension. The accuracy of its location is considered satisfactory a priori (note 7/10), and it remains the property of the municipality, without any indication of its current accessibility.

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