Several dozen people gathered at Mont-Valérien, near Paris, to pay tribute to French Armenian Resistance fighter Missak Manouchian, on the eve of her entry into the Pantheon.
This vigil was attended by several members of the government, political leaders as well as families of resistance fighters.
“Immense emotion at the Vigil for the coffin of Missak Manouchian at Mont-Valérien alongside Mrs. Hidalgo, Mayr of Paris, and Ambassador of Germany to France Stephan Steinlein. Eighty years after his execution, France pays tribute to this orphan of the Armenian genocide who became a hero of the Resistance,” Armenia’s Ambassador to France Hasmik Tolmajian said in a post on X.
Immense émotion à la Veillée du cercueil de Missak #Manouchian au Mont-Valérien aux côtés de Mme @Anne_Hidalgo , Maire de Paris et S.E.M. Stephan Steinlein, @AmbDEenFR.
80 ans après son exécution, la France rend hommage à cet orphelin du génocide arménien devenu héros de la… pic.twitter.com/l1dop6Il3S— Hasmik Tolmajian (@tolmajian) February 20, 2024
Eighty years to the day after his execution by the Nazis at Mont-Valérien, Armenian resistance fighter Missak Manouchian will be inducted into the Panthéon on Wednesday.
His burial signifies the first time a non-French body has been interred at the Pantheon, which holds the remains of many famous French citizens, including Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Èmile Zola, and Marie Curie.
Manouchian’s burial is a respectful nod to his position as leader of the “Red Poster” (“L’Affiche Rouge”) group.