Gentioux-Pigerolles war memorial, War memorial in Gentioux-Pigerolles, France.
The Gentioux-Pigerolles war memorial features a bronze statue of an orphaned child in school uniform raising a fist toward an inscribed message on the plinth. The composition unites the figure and text into a powerful statement against warfare.
Built in 1922, the memorial honors 58 local soldiers who fell in World War I. Some families lost multiple sons in the conflict.
The inscription 'Maudite soit la guerre' identifies this as one of France's rare pacifist monuments. The antiwar message shapes how locals and visitors understand and experience the site today.
The memorial underwent an eight-month renovation of its bronze statue in 2024, funded entirely by the French government. Visitors should plan to appreciate the details of the statue and inscription under good lighting and weather conditions.
Local accounts suggest that military troops passing near the memorial were directed to look away from the statue due to its pacifist message. This episode reveals how controversial the monument's peace stance was among authorities at the time.
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