NOVEMBER 23, 2024 — Today, a historic hand-sewn flag was raised on the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral during events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the city’s liberation in 1944, Le Monde reports.
This symbolic act recreated the daring ascent of Maurice Lebrun, a soldier in the 1st Moroccan Spahi Marching Regiment (1er R.M.S.M.), who scaled the 142-meter spire amidst fierce fighting on November 23, 1944, to hoist the flag in a moment of triumph.
The flag, known as the “Lorentz flag,” measures 2.70 meters and was pieced together by Emilienne Lorentz, a local butcher, at the request of Moroccan spahi troops.
Its blue section is faded, the white center bears a Lorraine cross and inscriptions detailing the regiment, and the red stripe—cut irregularly—was repurposed from a captured Nazi flag.
Today, the original flag is normally preserved in the Historical Museum of Strasbourg. The re-enactment of its raising honors both the city’s historical legacy and the memory of Maurice Lebrun, who passed away in 2009.
Image: Le Monde