La Main de Massiges

La Main de Massiges, or ‘Hand of Massiges’, is an important First World War site. Following their withdrawal in September 1914, the Germans took up a position on this natural piece of high ground, whose shape resembles a left hand laid flat on the ground, each finger representing a bastion of this natural fortress.

The Vierge aux Abeilles (Virgin of the Bees): Before the war, a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary stood by the roadside near Massiges. French soldiers adopted her and placed her in the temporary military cemetery. She was pierced by a rifle bullet and a swarm of bees came and nested there, hence the name, the Virgin of the Bees.