Grave of George Rodenbach

The bronze sculpture atop this grave depicts the Belgian writer Georges Rodenbach in the act of emerging from the earth. A figure of the symbolist movement, Rodenbach is shown pushing against a heavy slab of rough granite as if breaking free from his own tomb. In his hand, he firmly grips a single rose, a gesture meant to represent the enduring power of his art and his hope for immortality beyond physical death. The work was created in nineteen hundred and two by the sculptor Charlotte Besnard-Dubray and remains one of the most visually striking monuments in the cemetery.