Élise Rivet
Encyclopedia
Élise Rivet was a Roman Catholic nun and World War II
heroine.
The daughter of a French
naval officer, she joined the convent of the medical sisters of Notre Dame de Compassion in Lyon
. In 1933 she became Mère Marie Élisabeth de l'Eucharistie, the convent's Mother Superior. After the fall of the French Third Republic
to Nazi Germany
in World War II
, she began hiding refugees from the Gestapo
and eventually used her convent to store weapons and ammunition for the Mouvements Unis de Résistance (MUR).
On March 24, 1944 she and her assistant were arrested by the Gestapo and taken to the prison at Fort Montluc
in Lyon. From there she was taken to Romainville
before being shipped to Ravensbrück concentration camp near Berlin
, Germany
. There, stripped of her religious garments, she was forced into hard labor. With the end of the War in sight, the Germans began a massive amount of killings by gas chamber, including Mother Élise, on March 30, 1945, only weeks before the war ended. She was 55 years old.
(Lyon) was inaugurated on December 2, 1979. In 1997, she was posthumously awarded the Médaille des Justes and in 1999 the "Salle Élise Rivet" was named for her at the Institut des Sciences de l'Homme in Lyon
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
heroine.
The daughter of a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
naval officer, she joined the convent of the medical sisters of Notre Dame de Compassion in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. In 1933 she became Mère Marie Élisabeth de l'Eucharistie, the convent's Mother Superior. After the fall of the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she began hiding refugees from the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and eventually used her convent to store weapons and ammunition for the Mouvements Unis de Résistance (MUR).
On March 24, 1944 she and her assistant were arrested by the Gestapo and taken to the prison at Fort Montluc
Fort Montluc
Fort Montluc is a former prison located on rue Jeanne Hachette in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France.Built between 1831 and 1835 for use as a military prison, after the invasion of the unoccupied zone of Vichy France in November 1942, the Gestapo used it as a prison, interrogation centre and...
in Lyon. From there she was taken to Romainville
Romainville
Romainville is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:On 24 July 1867, a part of the territory of Romainville was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Pantin and a part of the territory of Bagnolet to create the commune of...
before being shipped to Ravensbrück concentration camp near Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. There, stripped of her religious garments, she was forced into hard labor. With the end of the War in sight, the Germans began a massive amount of killings by gas chamber, including Mother Élise, on March 30, 1945, only weeks before the war ended. She was 55 years old.
Legacy
In 1961, the government of France honored her with her portrait on a postage stamp and a street bearing her name in BrignaisBrignais
Brignais is a commune of the Rhône department in eastern France....
(Lyon) was inaugurated on December 2, 1979. In 1997, she was posthumously awarded the Médaille des Justes and in 1999 the "Salle Élise Rivet" was named for her at the Institut des Sciences de l'Homme in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.