Cross of Lorraine (Croix de Lorraine)
About Cross of Lorraine (Croix de Lorraine)
This 18-meter stainless steel cross marks the exact spot where General Charles de Gaulle first set foot on liberated French soil on June 14, 1944, eight days after D-Day. After four years of exile, de Gaulle crossed the English Channel aboard the destroyer La Combattante and landed on this beach between Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer. The monument was erected in 1990 to commemorate the centenary of de Gaulle's birth and inaugurated by his son, Admiral Philippe de Gaulle. Standing on Juno Beach at the Brèche de Graye, the same gap through which Winston Churchill and King George VI also passed, this cross serves as both a war memorial and a nautical landmark visible from great distances across the Bay of the Seine. Visitors can access the monument freely at any time via the beach or through the dunes.
Interesting Facts
The Cross of Lorraine symbol was adopted by the Free French forces on July 1, 1940, just eleven days after France's surrender. Vice-Admiral Émile Muselier proposed it to de Gaulle as a counter-symbol to the Nazi swastika, choosing it partly because de Gaulle's former tank regiment had the cross in its coat of arms.
The monument weighs 6 tons and rests on a 96-ton concrete foundation. Built by a company from Alençon, the stainless steel cross was designed by architect Guy Lemerre and stands 22 meters above sea level, making it visible from as far as Barfleur Point to Le Havre.
Before disembarking on this beach, de Gaulle performed his first official act on French soil: he awarded the Croix de Guerre to La Combattante, the destroyer that brought him across the Channel. The ship's captain and crew received this honor while still at anchor off the Norman coast.
Planning Your Visit
Opening Hours
Location & Practical Info
Address
Voie des Français Libres, 14470 Courseulles-sur-Mer, France
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