Rue Saint-Joseph, in the Carmes district of Namur, now features a striking colorful fresco bringing to life the memory of Abbé Joseph André (1908-1973). This Namur priest was recognized by Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations" for his crucial role in saving and protecting Jewish children during World War II. From 1942 to the end of 1943, he enabled several hundred of them to escape deportation and certain death.
Operating from the Home de l’Ange, his residence, and with the help of a network of accomplices within the clergy, the communal administration, and private individuals, he managed to hide hundreds of children, either in his own home or in safe locations around Namur.
Commissioned by the non-profit L’Enfant caché and created by artist Amandine Levy Lesay of the Brussels collective Propaganza, with the collaboration of Farm Prod, this fresco adorns the wall of the Institut Ilon Saint-Jacques. The artwork immerses the viewer in a sepia atmosphere, evoking archival photographs. Three children are depicted in bichromia, expressing fear and anguish, while stars symbolize hope for a better future. Abbé André, on his bicycle, appears as their savior, guiding them towards light and freedom.
Through this public art installation, the hidden children and their families aim to keep alive the memory of a man who chose to act, as well as that of all those, residents of Namur and elsewhere, who collaborated with him to save lives at the risk of their own.
Inaugurated on October 14 in the presence of descendants of the saved children, the artwork intends to transmit a message of memory, solidarity, courage, and hope to future generations, without shying away from the darkness of this episode in Namur's history. The inauguration was a symbolic moment to recall that, even in dark times, men and women can choose to resist, act, and protect.
After World War II, Abbé Joseph André continued his work of solidarity and humanism by welcoming war orphans and Hungarian refugees in 1956, later becoming the chaplain of the prison of Namur.
A QR code integrated into the fresco will allow visitors to discover the story of Abbé André and the creation of this mural, making this wall a living space for memory and transmission.
