Acclaimed historian and member of the French Resistance Marc Bloch will be interred in France’s Panthéon, alongside his wife Simonne Vidal, in a ceremony today (June 23).
Mr Bloch, who was executed by the Gestapo in 1944 following the Allied invasion of Normandy, will become the 84th person to be interred in the building, dedicated to French citizens who have shaped the modern history of the country.
"For his work, his teaching and his courage, we have decided that Marc Bloch will be inducted into the Panthéon," said President Emmanuel Macron on November 24, 2024, during a celebration marking the 80th anniversary of Strasbourg’s liberation.
It will be the sixth interment ceremony by President Macon, following the inclusion of Simone Veil (alongside her husband Antoine), Maurice Genevoix, Josephine Baker, Missak Manouchian, and Robert Badinter.
Alongside Mr Manouchian, Simone Veil, and Josphine Baker, Mr Bloch forms a group of World-War Two era figures included in the state building.
Mr Bloch and his wife Simonne will be symbolically reunited, with two empty cenotaphs placed in Panthéon after being separated by the war. The Bloch family decided to keep the ashes in the family vault at Bourg-d’Hem (Creuse), where they have rested since 1977, reports France24.
From 18:30 this evening, members of the public will be welcomed on Rue Soufflot (Paris, 5th arrondissement), which has been “specially prepared” for the ceremony, reads the Panthéon’s website.
The ceremony will also be shown live on France 2, and is due to take place at 21:00.
The Panthéon will be free for all to visit between June 25 and June 28.
Jewish family, life of a soldier
Born to an Alsatian Jewish family in 1886, Marc Bloch rose to prominence as a major historian in the 20th Century.
The son of historian Gustave Bloch, he received his doctorate after fighting for the French in World War One.
His studies specialised in medieval French history and he subsequently began a career in academia, taking positions at the Universities of Strasbourg and then Paris Sorbonne.
He became a prominent intellectual after founding ‘Annales’ school of historical studies alongside Lucien Febvre.
The school focuses on history through the prism of long-term social trends, and blends elements of geography, social studies and economics to map out wider historical changes. It focuses on how history is shaped by collectives rather than individuals.
Following the outbreak of World War Two, Marc Bloch was called up to the French army despite being 53, and served as a captain in Alsace.
There he helped to conduct studies of French fuel supplies and evacuate Alsatian families behind the ‘Maginot Line’ of fortresses along the Franco-German border.
He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, and admission to the Legion of Honour among other decorations.
Life in the war
Mr Bloch was evacuated to England after fighting in the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940, but chose to return to France to reunite with his family rather than remain across the English Channel.
Despite several pleas from colleagues to flee France because of his Jewish heritage, Mr Bloch remained in the country.
Later studies of his life hint that he probably refused to emigrate to the US because American authorities did not issue visas for all of his family members, and he did not want to be apart from them. This was despite receiving a personal visa and job offer.
He was offered one of the few working permits available to French Jews to continue teaching at university, but was transferred from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand and then Montpellier.
Despite obtaining the work permit, he faced severe antisemitism throughout his time in Vichy France, and had to be escorted to classes due to protests from right-wing anti-Jewish activists.
His library in Paris was ransacked by German forces, and he was forced to step down from his position as co-editor of the Annales journal due to his Jewish heritage. He continued to write under a pseudonym, but was no longer given the same prominence.
In 1942 he joined the resistance via the moderate Franc-Tireur group, and relocated to Lyon.
Despite his age, he used his military skills and intellectual expertise to help efforts, penning propaganda and organising supplies.
He was able to use his academic work as cover for travelling across France (including Vichy France and the German-occupied northern part of the country) claiming he was carrying out archival research when he was transferring messages between groups.
Arrest, execution, and renewed interest after death
Captured in March 1944, he was imprisoned by Gestapo forces in Lyon after other members had given up his name during interrogation.
Under the remit of Gestapo commander Klaus Barbie (known as the Butcher of Lyon), Mr Bloch was tortured for several weeks but refused to give up information about other Resistance members.
Despite injuries from beatings and the pneumonia he suffered from repeatedly being submerged in icy water as part of his torture, he taught other prisoners about French history, and was a comforting presence for younger inmates.
One anecdote says that just before being executed, a visibly terrified teenage Resistance member asked if it was going to hurt.
“Don't be afraid. They are going to shoot us, they won't hurt us,” Mr Bloch replied, according to Franceinfo.
Mr Bloch was executed soon after June 6, 1994, following the successful Allied invasion of Normandy.
His wife died of illness some weeks later, on July 2, 1944, after being hospitalised under the false name of Simonne Perrier - protection from being identified as Jewish. She had not yet been notified of her husband’s death.
Several of Mr Bloch’s books and articles were published posthumously after World War Two ended, including Strange Defeat, an overview of France in 1940 and the failures that led to its sudden defeat by the German Army.
His work remained largely unknown before renewed historical interest in 1980s and 1990s – largely centred on Strange Defeat – helped Mr Bloch’s achievements in both history and for the Resistance enter public knowledge.
In 1997, the graduating class of the elite ENA school chose to name their cohort after Mr Bloch.
This group included Edouard Philippe – future prime minister under Mr Macron and a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Read Mr Bloch’s full biography by France’s Education Ministry here.
