The Vivarais-Lignon plateau, land of the Righteous.
The Place of Memory at Chambon-sur-Lignon is a unique place dedicated to the history of the Righteous and Resistance fighters during the Second World War. It is therefore also a place of history, memories and education for the younger generations.
Once upon a time “The Hill of a Thousand Children”
Who has not seen, on the big or small screen, the story of these families who welcomed the persecuted from the “black” pages of our history?
“The Hill of a Thousand Children”, realized by Jean-Louis Lorenzi in 1994, looks back on a dark period in the history of France. A France cut in two since Vichy: autumn 1941. In France occupied by the Germans, the raids multiply. Children are taken away from their parents. At Chambon sur Lignon, in the Velay, in the free zone, a young woman, exhausted by a long journey, knocks on the door of the presbytery. pastor's wife, Martha Fontaine, opens to Clara, the first Jewish refugee among the hundreds who would follow her to flee Nazi persecution…
Le Vivarais-Lignon plateau (the village of Chambon-sur-Lignon and the surrounding towns) received a collective tribute: the distinction of righteous among nations, the only example of collective attribution, for the rescue of many refugees during the war. And this spirit of solidarity is not new! Because this strong identity that Le Chambon-sur-Lignon and the surrounding towns have retained is undoubtedly the legacy of the Protestant wars in the XNUMXth century.
The Place of Memory, a memorial that traces the noble history of the plateau
Since the summer of 2013, a place of memory was thus born in Chambon sur Lignon to embody this piece of history. It looks back on this part of history and on the Second World War through a permanent exhibition, enriched with numerous filmed testimonies. The route introduces the visitor to the particularities of the plateau and explains the commitment of the inhabitants in a civil, spiritual and armed resistance. Adjoining, a serene garden is being created, signed by the French landscaper Louis Benech .
The Vivarais-Lignon plateau, a land of welcome
The Place of Memory is a tribute to the Protestant community of the plateau and to all those who have been led by its example, whatever their faith. Because during the Second World War, it was all the inhabitants of the Chambon-sur-Lignon, Tence, Saint-Jeures, Saint-Agrève, Fay, Les Vastres, Araules… who united against Nazi crimes, and this, at the risk of their lives by hiding, protecting and saving thousands of lives persecuted by fascist power.
Guided tours, exhibitions, conferences and events are offered throughout the year at the Place of Memory.
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