Chapelle orthodoxe et cimetière russe

Thanks to agreements signed in December 1915, Tsarist Russia agreed to send 4 infantry brigades, in exchange for war material and ammunition, to fight alongside French and British troops.

After a journey of 30,000 km and 60 days by boat, the 1st Brigade arrived in Mailly in July 1916 to join the Aubérive sector. It will be replaced by the 3rd brigade in the fall. The troops were engaged at Fort de la Pompelle, Courcy and Mont-Spin in 1917. They were then withdrawn from the front due to the impact of the revolutionary movements in Russia.

Some of the soldiers, who remained faithful to their country's commitment, fought in France until the end of the war within the Russian Legion.

Located in a place called L'Espérance, the site of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand was chosen to honor the memory of the Russian soldiers who fell on the battlefields of Champagne.
The Russian military cemetery brings together the bodies of 915 young Russian soldiers from the 2 brigades.

The Orthodox Chapel was built there in 1936-37 thanks to fundraising by the Association of Remembrance of the Russian Expeditionary Force.

Open on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month from April to July and from September to mid-November. Open during the week with early reservation.

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