Even 70 years after his death, the memory of Marshal Pétain still hangs over the Ile d'Yeu, where he died and was buried.

Many visitors and tourists continue to visit his tomb to the despair of the inhabitants who would like their little piece of paradise no longer associated with the leader of the Vichy regime.

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It is a very heavy heritage to bear for the inhabitants of the Ile d'Yeu.

70 years ago, Philippe Pétain died in prison on the citadel of the town.

It is also here that the leader of the Vichy regime was buried in July 1951 in the small cemetery of Port-Joinville.

And even if the years have passed, his tomb still attracts visitors and the curious, and makes the memory of the Marshal hover over the small West Island.

"It's mostly curiosity"

It is a separate corner in the small marine cemetery of Port-Joinville.

A white tomb, with its back to the others, almost hidden by cypress trees.

This municipal employee walks past it every day and regularly meets intrigued visitors.

"We often come to ask us where his grave is. Some people take pictures ... It's mostly curiosity," he says.

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Like the great Lighthouse or the old medieval castle, Philippe Pétain's tomb is a stopover point for tourists.

This is what historian Jean-Yves Le Naour explains.

"Going to see Pétain's tomb is the attraction. It is part of the obligatory tour on the island. But we cannot say that the Marshal really anguishes our thoughts at the present time", judge the specialist.

"He has nothing to do here"

Not an anguish no, but a weight on the shoulders of the more than 4,700 inhabitants who are tired of seeing the name of their little paradise associated with that of Pétain. Like Hugues Augereau, manager of the Navigator, a small regular bar. "It's still a shame that he is buried here when he is a hero of Verdun. He has nothing to do here. The whole coast is magnificent and it is much nicer than what we know. Marshal Pétain ", he regrets. Yet this year again, around twenty die-hard supporters are expected to lay a wreath on his grave.