I love all things related to the Revolutionary War, and while in Paris, I had to visit one of France’s special connections to the early stages of the United States. Because of my love for American history, I traveled to the Picpus Cemetery to pay respects to the Marquis de Lafayette.
Many heroes came out of the Revolutionary War, and the Marquis was one of them. America’s fight for independence was romanticized in Paris, and in 1777, Lafayette raised money and set sail to assist the Americans. Shortly after arriving, Congress offered the young Marquis the rank of Major General.
George Washington surrounded himself with young soldiers to be a father figure. Lafayette was one soldier Washington took a liking to and offered him a place alongside him. During the harsh winter at Valley Forge, Lafayette was there.
Lafayette was wounded at Brandywine in 1777, but continued to fight for the cause. Throughout the war, Lafayette helped raise money by appealing to France, stating it was in France’s best interest to support the Americans in their fight against Great Britain.
During the Battle of Yorktown, Lafayette played a major role in fighting the British, along with Alexander Hamilton. Their teaming up led to defeat Cornwallis and ultimately an end to the war. At 24, Lafayette was a world renown hero. Later, he toured the United States in 1784 to a hero’s welcome everywhere he went.
His time back home in Paris was anything but peaceful. The American Revolution inspired the French to overthrow their monarchy. The French government was near bankruptcy because of wars and lavish spending. Debts were not being paid, and taxes hit most of the population hard. Along with an unfortunate harvest in the 1780s, prices for grain became the icing on the cake for the French Revolution.
On July 14, 1789, a group of Parisians stormed the Bastille. Lafayette had broken with his aristocratic upbringing and sided with the people and led the National Guard of Paris. He also used his influence to support the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. He believed France should have a constitutional monarchy.
Parisians’ lust for blood through the guillotine caused Lafayette to withdraw his support of the people. He was stuck in the middle of a fight between the common man and the upper class he was brought up with. It was no longer about overthrowing a government; it was about mass executions of those they hated.
Lafayette’s family was not exempt from the guillotine. His mother-in-law and two of his wife’s sisters were executed. Lafayette feared for his life and fled France to Austria, where he was picked up by Austrian forces and spent 5 years imprisoned. His wife, Adrienne de Lafayette, was almost guillotined but was spared execution. Adrienne and their daughter went to Austria and stayed with Lafayette during the last days of his imprisonment. He was released after American diplomats got involved.
The Lafayette family went back to France, but because of the hardships Adrienne had faced, her health deteriorated. She died in 1807 at 48.
Lafayette is buried next to his wife at the Picpus Cemetery, but the reason is also an interesting story in French history.
In June 1794, mass executions took place at the Barrière du Trône. 1,306 people were executed. Two large mass graves were dug, and the people were dumped and buried. Among those dumped were 16 Carmelite nuns of Compiègne. Also buried were Adrienne de Lafayette’s family.
As the bodies were being carted away, a young girl followed the cart. Her father and brother had been executed, and nobody knew where the bodies were being buried. Years later, the girl shared where the bodies were buried. Families of those who were buried put their money together and purchased the land. To this day, the only way you can be buried in the cemetery is to be related to someone in the mass grave. Which is why Adrienne de Lafayette was buried in the cemetery and later joined by the Marquis de Lafayette.
Before the revolution, a church stood on the ground, but was later taken over by the masses. After the French Revolution, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary began praying at the site for the souls of those lost, as well as those who killed them. A new chapel was built between 1840 and 1841. A new name, “Notre-Dame de la Paix,” was given. Inside the chapel, the names of the 1,306 people were etched into the walls. To this day, the chapel is a place where peace and reconciliation are prayed for.
