Ecoivres Military Cemetery - Mont-Saint-Eloi
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On a hill overlooking Arras stand the remains of two towers which bear testament not only to the once-powerful Mont-Saint-Eloi Abbey but also to the savage fighting that took place in the area during the Great War.
According to legend the abbey was established in the 7th century by Saint Vindicianus, a disciple of Saint Eligius (Saint Eloi in French), and by the Middle Ages it had become a powerful religious centre; however the turbulent times of the Revolution saw its walls pillaged for their stone. All that survived from this period were the twin towers of white limestone and the porch on the west wall.
From the beginning of the Great War the towers were used by French troops to observe German positions on Lorette Spur and Vimy Ridge. The suspicions of the French soldiers were aroused when Germans fired upon their every movement until it was realized that what was giving them away was not a spy but the birds nesting on the towers which took flight whenever the troops disturbed them.
Buried in the order of battle
In 1915 heavy shelling truncated the towers, reducing their height from fifty-three to forty-four metres. In 1921 they were finally listed on France's register of ancient monuments. Purchased by Pas-de-Calais Council in 2004, the towers have since undergone much-needed works to consolidate their structure. They are a powerful symbol, a living monument which illustrates the horrors of war and calls for peace.
In early 1916 the British Army relieved French troops in the sector. The latter had established an extension to the local cemetery in Ecoivres, at the foot of the hill, to bury 786 of the soldiers who died there, mostly in the fighting of 1915. A military tramway used to carry supplies to the troops at the front also served as an ambulance to bring back the dead and wounded. This transport system conferred on Ecoivres Military Cemetery an unusual feature in that, from the French extension to the Cross of Sacrifice, the graves of the mostly British and Canadian soldiers are in chronological order: the graves of the men of the 46th North Midland Division who relieved the French in March 1916 are followed by those of the 25th Division who fell in the German attack at the foot of Vimy Ridge in May 1916; next come the men of the 47th London Division who died between July and October 1916 and finally the graves of the Canadians who lost their lives in the successful assault on Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
Practical information
Map:
Find out about access, tourist offices and a selection of quality accommodation and restaurants around the site.
Contact details
Address: Hameau d'Ecoivres - Rue de Maroeuil - 62144 MONT-SAINT-ELOI
Contact: OFFICE DE TOURISME D'ARRAS
Call: +33 (0)3 21 51 26 95
Website: www.ot-arras.fr
Consult the brochure
