La cérémonie du 24 avril en France

The article analyzes the typical organization of the ceremony commemorating the Armenian genocide on April 24th in French cities with a large Armenian community such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Valence. These cities and their outskirts have a shared history of harboring the largest settlements of Armenian descendants in France, including a strong religious representation. In the case of Paris, Lyon and Marseille, they have strong national visibility. The article mobilizes the regional daily press and the French-speaking Armenian press – without dwelling on insignificant local nuances – to highlight the strong ritual aspects of the April 24th commemoration, its role as a potent vector of memory and as identity resource beyond mere claim. With this in mind, the commemoration of April 24th can be read as a merger between Armenian religious symbolism and the French republican symbolism inherited from the November 11th commemorations.