On either side of the Chapelle-Mémorial there are two large cemeteries: one French and one German. The French necropolis, built between 1919 and 1925, has 5,150 graves, including 2,386 in an ossuary. It is also the resting place of 54 Russian prisoners of war and many tirailleurs from Africa and Madagascar, who died during the Nivelle offensives.
Behind the French cemetery is the German military cemetery, established from 1919 onwards under the Treaty of Versailles. It has 7,526 graves, almost 4,000 of which are in an ossuary. In 1972, the site was redesigned with simple stone crosses.
Together with the chapel and the “Lanterne des morts”, this place is a powerful symbol of memory and reconciliation.