“If each burial is unique, so is each grave”, confides Fabrice Crézé, curator of the Saint-Chéron cemetery, in Chartres. He also points out that while some choose sobriety for the tomb, others stand out for the texture of the stone or the color, for example.
Certain burials, which belong to well-known and recognized Chartres personalities, attract the curious. Others gain attention thanks to specific visual aspects. “Some are worth a look,” says the curator. Focus on three of them.
The tomb of the veiled lady (Raoul Brandon)
Impressive and imposing, the family burial place of Raoul Brandon, Lucéen by birth, is one of the most monumental in this Chartres cemetery.
This great architect (1878-1941) is notably known for having built the Hôtel des Postes de Chartres, which now houses the Apostrophe media library.
This sepulture is distinguished from the 10,000 others by the immense bronze statue which overhangs it. A woman standing with a bouquet in her hand. Veiled and draped, the lady, with its details, inevitably attracts the eye.
“Paradoxically, it’s very alive”: meeting with the curator of the Saint-Chéron cemetery, in Chartres
“It is rather rare to see a statue of this size on a tomb, confides Fabrice Crézé. It is not the most maintained, but it is regularly visited.”
The colorful tomb of Picassiette
Impossible to pass nearby without noticing it. Brightly colored, with a predominant Chartres blue, and geometric shapes, the tomb of Raymond Isidore, better known as Picassiette, captures all the attention.
Located under the largest tree in the cemetery, “this tomb is one of those most in demand, smiles curator Fabrice Crézé. The ornamentation of the tomb was redone when I arrived four years ago by the association les 3R de Chartres. Everything is inspired by the work and style of the artist “.
Stop at the Picassiette house in Chartres, the work of a lifetime
Raymond Isidore became known for having decorated his house with mosaics, from the living room to the garden, and it was nicknamed “the Picassiette house”.
More “natural” graves
Certain burials arouse astonishment, where nature reclaims its rights in the Saint-Chéron cemetery. Here a tree grew over the grave and broke the stone. “He must have been buried years ago,” suggests Fabrice Crézé.
There, ivy seized the grave to cover it. It is no longer even visible.
“It’s rather rare, adds the curator, because wild plantations are not accepted at the cemetery. But there are trees that have been present for decades. They give a natural side and are not dangerous, so we let them grow, because they also make the charm of the cemetery. It’s the war between the bucolic side and the legality. “
The military square of the Saint-Chéron cemetery in Chartres shines with a thousand colors
The curator specifies: “We are not allowed to touch the graves. We can just cut the ivy, when it overflows, when it comes to a person who has left a bequest to the City. There are about a hundred in this case, in the cemetery of Saint Chéron. “
Story. Other tombs stand out for their history. “The Saint-Chéron cemetery raises several points of interest, particularly historical and artistic. There are traces of the Second World War”, specifies Fabrice Crézé, the curator. Impacts of bullets and shells are visible on some chapels of the cemetery, witnesses of this historical period. The Saint-Chéron cemetery was bombed during the Liberation in 1945. Several graves were destroyed.
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