Youth, gather yourself and meditate. For this is the sacred repository of thousands of brave men. To us the memory. To them immortality.
One of the 6 Sacred Landmarks in the world
This monument was erected in memory of the French and allied soldiers who died or were maimed during the Great War. The Ajaccio Sacred Ground marker is one of six in the world. Five of them are in France and one in the United States.
Each one contains a mixture of soil from different battlefields of the 1914-1918 conflict.
These are works by the French sculptor Gaston Deblaize, a former poilu.
Some figures
- 30 September 1933: Inauguration of the Sacred Landmark by Hyacinthe Campiglia, Mayor of Ajaccio
- 306 killed, about 1200 wounded and 190 prisoners: this is the heavy toll paid by the town of Ajaccio during the First World War
The other milestones of the Sacred Land
Here are the other milestones of the Sacred Land in the chronological order in which they were erected.
- UNITED STATES - Arlington National Cemetery (near Washington)
- PARIS-Chapel of the Simple Soldier at the Invalides
- BRITAIN - Guernic Reef
- INDRE ET LOIRE - village of Cinq Mars la Pile
- HAUTE MARNE - village of Meures
The one in Ajaccio is the last monument built.
The beach of the Sacred Land
It is one of the beaches that border the mythical route of the Sanguinaires Islands. Located in the Vignola area, it takes its name from the milestone it shelters. It is surrounded by the beaches of Macumba and Week-End.
Accessible by public transport from Ajaccio city centre, it is also the arrival point of the Chemin des Crêtes hiking trail.
