“Farewell, my general”: Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the memory of Jean-Louis Georgelin at Les Invalides

This is a national tribute. This Friday, a ceremony was held in Les Invalides in honor of General Jean-Louis Georgelin. The former chief of staff of the armies, who was responsible for the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral, died on Friday, August 18 at the age of 74, while hiking on the slopes of Mont Valier in the Pyrenees.

The religious ceremony took place today at 9 am at the Saint-Louis-de-Invalides Cathedral in Paris (VIIe). This was followed by a national glorification at 11 a.m. in the courtyard of Les Invalides, chaired by President Emmanuel Macron. Before speaking, the Head of State welcomed the top military authorities who were present to pay tribute to the general.

“Soldier of France”

Shortly after 11 o’clock in the morning, the coffin of the general, brought by firefighters from Paris, drove into the courtyard of the Les Invalides. Emmanuel Macron then paid tribute to the voice of “this leader who knew that leadership is above all setting an example”, this “workaholic”, this “leader of the people”, this “soldier of France, servant of the state and the Republic”.

Jean-Louis Georgelin, former apprentice of Saint-Cyr, Chief of Staff of the Champs Elysees of Jacques Chirac in 2002 and promoted to General of the Army in 2003, was born on 30 August 1948 in Aspe. The Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces (Cema), under the command of Nicolas Sarkozy, led operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Afghanistan, the Balkans and Lebanon from 2006 to 2010.

“Familiar figure”

In 2019, he was commissioned by the President to oversee the renovation of the Paris Cathedral after it burned down. “He spent the night confused and bruised. Nothing could comfort him so much. Notre Dame Cathedral was indeed the soul of France, said Emmanuel Macron. On that April day in 2019, I entrusted him with this colossal, almost impossible project. Jean-Louis Georgelin expressed only one thing: his desire to serve. »

“For our compatriots, he has become a familiar figure: the general of the cathedral,” the head of state said. Although the doors of Notre Dame will reopen on December 8, 2024, the President recalled that “Jean-Louis Georgelin lived not in honor but in hope. He had a purpose. His life was cut short before he could reach him. But all great things require that part of the effort that does not expect a reward.

Many members of the government were present: Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Rima Abdul-Malak, Minister of Culture, Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, Eric Dupont-Moretti, Keeper of the Seals, Gabriel Attal, Minister. national education… Among those who came to pay tribute to him were also François Bayrou, High Commissioner for Planning and President of Modem, Pierre Moscovici, President of the Court of Accounts and former minister under François Hollande, and Anna Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.