In Creuse, the village of Faux-la-Montagne has just inaugurated a new space in its cemetery, intended to collect the ashes of the cremated deceased. A project designed with the inhabitants of the town, inspired by ancestral funeral traditions and local know-how.
The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection
Every day, our editorial team reserves the best regional news for you. A selection just for you, to stay in touch with your regions.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the newsletter “The essentials of the day: our exclusive selection”. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
It is in the extension of the cemetery which overlooks the village and dominates the valley that the inhabitants of Faux-la-Montagne decided to raise a new tumulus. It is inspired by Neolithic burials found in places on the Millevaches plateau. “These were collective burials, where the bodies were placed and buried under piles of stones which often had a circular shape.“, specifies landscaper Marion Ponsard.
In this space of contemplation, the ashes of the deceased will be placed under the protection of the scree.
“We remove a few stones on top, then pour in the ashes. It’s a scree, so there are spaces, interstices where the ashes will get in, and then we put the stones back on the tumulus” describes Hélène Chaudeau, funeral consultant.
A little further up, the cut and assembled granite stones form niches, so that families can also place their funeral urns there. There, in these stones of the country. “It is a type of work which is inspired by things that we can see in the vernacular heritage“, explains waller Nathan Bennett.
This extension of the cemetery dedicated to the cremated deceased was born after the death of a resident of the village, who wanted these ashes to rest there, in this landscape that she loved so much. Nothing then existed to accommodate the ballot boxes, the municipality chose to consult its citizens to build the project.
“We really tried to go as closely as possible to the desires of the inhabitants, to have a place which is respectful of meditation, which is sacred. Have a collective choice for a collective memory” says Hélène Chaudeau.
Inaugurated this Saturday, October 26, this original showcase of traditional heritage and artisanal know-how benefited from financial support from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
It is part of an evolution of funeral rites and practices observed for several years in France.
- -
