Remembrance Ring, a Peace Memorial
The Remembrance Ring – Anneau de la Mémoire is officially named the Mémorial International Notre-Dame-de-Lorette – Notre-Dame-de-Lorette International Memorial.
It was created to commemorate the centenary of the First World War and was inaugurated by President François Hollande on November 11, 2014.
It is located at the entrance to the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette French Military Cemetery in Ablains-Saint-Nazaire.
This unique memorial takes the form of a monumental ring with a circumference of 345 metres. T
The Remembrance Ring is accessed via a concrete path bordered by two high walls, evoking trenches.
These walls bear metal plaques engraved with the word “Peace” in several languages, placed at regular intervals, symbolising unity and remembrance beyond borders.
The Remembrance Ring is situated on a gentle slope covering 2.2 hectares.
It is entirely fixed to the ground except for a short section, suspended in the air and intended to symbolise the fragility of Peace.
Its circular shape, meanwhile, evokes eternal peace and pays tribute to those who perished in the war.
A path, situated 3 metres above the ground, runs inside the ring.
It is lined with 500 imposing bronze panels, all but one engraved with the names of soldiers who fell on the battlefields of Pas-de-Calais during the First World War.
The names of these Fallen Soldiers are listed alphabetically, regardless of rank or nationality, a symbol of unity.
The Remembrance Ring is indeed engraved with the names of 579,606 soldiers from 40 different nationalities: 214,214 Commonwealth soldiers, 173,876 German soldiers, 106,012 French soldiers, including men from the French Colonial Troops and the Foreign Legion, 2,326 Belgians, 2,266 Portuguese, and 6 Americans.
Designed by architect Philippe Prost, the Remembrance Ring has been critically acclaimed and awarded the prestigious Equerre d’Argent architectural prize.
Its contemporary design indeed brilliantly combines solemnity and modernity, a perfect symbol of reconciliation and unity.
Department of Pas-de-Calais – Ablains-St-Nazaire
Coordinates: Lat 50.399618 – Long 2.719524
