A 32-metre stone eagle concealing the names of 3,665 Niçois war dead

In 2018, a twenty-meter high reliquary sculpture in the form of a Niçois eagle was discovered concealed within the Monument aux morts de Rauba-Capèu. It houses plaques for 2,000 soldiers from the First World War, yet no records make note of its existence.

The structure reaches a height of 32 meters with its surroundings, making it one of the tallest in France. Nice commissioned this towering piece to honor its sons on a rock-cut path that once hosted an ancient racetrack. Mayor Francois Goiran precipitated its construction in 1919 as a homage to the war dead, and Marshall Foch inaugurated the site in 1928.

At the base, a sundial rests near two reliefs by Alfred Janniot, showcasing the violent chaos of war and the quietude of peace. The stone itself demands that the living never forget what their fathers accomplished. It carries the names of 3,665 Niçois who never returned home.

You can find it today along the tourist Seaside Road. It is a monumental piece of stone, located where the wind is said to be so strong as to "steal one's cap" - rauba capeù in the dialect of niçois.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons