To support families in their mourning, the "Tenir ta main" collective has created a memorial dedicated to the victims of Covid-19, within the Saint-Sulpice Church.

This Friday, the first tribute ceremony was held.

About fifty people were present.

REPORTAGE

More than 109,000 people in France have lost their lives as a result of Covid-19 contamination since the start of the pandemic last year.

A sad record for the country and the families, who were unable to bid farewell in dignity with the implementation of various measures to limit contact with the contaminated dead.

To pay tribute to these victims of the Covid-19, a memorial was inaugurated this Friday in the Saint-Sulpice church in Paris. 

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A place of meditation

Accessible to all during the period of the pandemic, this memorial was created thanks to the collective "Hold your hand", which collects the testimonies of bereaved families.

Every Friday, a ceremony is also organized in the church, where photos and farewell messages already cover the walls.

For many, this memorial is an opportunity to finalize their mourning.

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"To have been able to submit her photo is in fact to give it visibility that she did not have", underlines Martine, present in the place of worship.

Her mother died last January in her nursing home room, after weeks of loneliness, she regrets. 

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"The door is open to all"

In the rows of chairs in the church, many hold a photo of their loved ones in their hands. "It was I who called the hospital because my brother no longer answered me on the phone. That's how I learned of his death," says Agnes, present at the ceremony with a photo of her brother in his hands. "I couldn't see him, he left in a plastic bag. He wasn't even dressed. The funeral went by so fast, I couldn't see him dead ... So it was. it's important to have something to meditate on and feel less alone, ”she adds. 

"The door is open to all, believers, non-believers. It is a collective wound, we must meet here", explains the founder of the collective "Hold your hand", Stéphanie Bataille. She now hopes that this memorial will find an echo in other cities in France.