François Scheer-Scheer

The City of Luxembourg reacquired ownership of this plot in 2017. The monument was provided by GRANITO, which is part of the company Chaux de Contern. The headstone, which includes a pediment with cut-out sections, is flanked with bronze reliefs and attached to the granite backing. The pediment is decorated with a bronze relief by an unkonwn artist depicting the face of Christ with his crown of thorns – a symbol of mankind's suffering and salvation. Underneath is a portrait – one of the few found on a grave in the Notre-Dame Cemetery. It shows François Scheer, who was born on 30 May 1921 and died some time between 20 and 23 August 1944 while helping to liberate Romania during a battle between the Axis forces and the Soviet Red Army. The letters alpha and omega – the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet – stand on either side of this young man's portrait. This symbol evokes the eternity of Christ.

The tombstone was added later in two stages. As a finishing touch, the planter was covered. In 1975-76, only François Scheer's parents were listed as being interred here, though the monument was erected in 1953, most likely upon the return of the ashes of the son, who had not been buried in a military cemetery.