In the heart of a shaded square just steps from the casino, a stone stele pays tribute to the resistance fighters of La Rochelle during the Second World War. Designed by Henri Gayot — drawing teacher, member of the Honneur et Patrie network under the alias 'le Normand', himself deported to Natzweiler-Struthof and then Dachau — the work was unveiled in 1982. An emaciated deportee with a shaven head rises in high relief from the stone, brandishing a flame of liberty. The artist exploited the full range of sculptural technique, from the powerful high relief of the right hand and flame down to the fine engraving of the wasted legs. A Cross of Lorraine and the inscription 'Résistance 1940-1945 / Forces françaises libres / Résistance intérieure' complete this deeply moving place of remembrance.
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