Missak Manouchian, a survivor of the Armenian genocide who later rose to prominence as a hero of the French Resistance, alongside his wife Melinee Manouchian, was interred in France’s Panthéon mausoleum of revered historical figures on February 21.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced this decision in July 2023.
“Manouchian embodies a portion of our national greatness,” Macron remarked in his statement, affirming that the French-Armenian poet and communist exemplified France’s core values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
As per the family’s wishes, Manouchian’s wife, Mélinée, accompanied him in the mausoleum, though she will not be granted the same “pantheonization” status accorded to her husband—a rare tribute reserved for individuals who have significantly impacted French history, such as Victor Hugo, Voltaire, and Marie Curie.
Arriving in France in 1925 as a stateless refugee fleeing the Armenian genocide with his brother, Manouchian joined the country’s communist Resistance movement in 1943 during World War II. Leading a small group of fighters, he orchestrated a series of successful attacks against the occupying Nazi forces.
In 1944, the group, which included several Jews, was dismantled when 23 of its members were captured and sentenced to death by a German military tribunal.
Manouchian met his fate at the hands of a Nazi firing squad on February 21, 1944.
With his induction into the Panthéon, Manouchian will become the first foreign and communist Resistance fighter to receive this prestigious honor.
In his tribute, Macron also acknowledged the “bravery” and “silent heroism” displayed by Manouchian and other foreign Resistance fighters.
