French scouts erect cross on Mount Canigou during Nazi occupation

[RememberSchiff]

"At the beginning of 1943, a scout group from the city of Perpignan (southern France), including the guide Jo Tasias, undertook a crazy initiative: to erect a cross on the summit of Mount Canigou, which towers 2,783 m (9,134 ft) above the French Catalonian countryside. The idea was to make a pilgrimage to pray for occupied France and for the return of prisoners.

To build the cross, the scouts enlisted the help of a friend of their chaplain, Georges Margouet, a blacksmith. He completed the cross in July 1943.  (Cross weighed 247 pounds)

Under cloudy skies, the scouts climbed the more than 6,000 feet of ascent from the town of Prades to reach the Cortalets refuge nearer to the peak. The necessary equipment — mortar, shovels, and ropes — was hauled in a handcart. The refuge served as a base camp for the ten days of work ahead."

Rest of their amazing story and photos at sources:

https://aleteia.org/2024/01/03/during-nazi-occupation-scouts-put-a-cross-on-a-french-peak/

Link below has more photos, text in French.

https://marmotton66.e-monsite.com/pages/mythes-et-legendes/les-deux-croix-du-canigou.html

Edited January 4, 2024 by RememberSchiff