As families across France visit cemeteries during the All Saints' Day weekend, one passionate genealogist has made it her mission to ensure that no grave is ever truly forgotten. Isabel Val Viga regularly walks through cemeteries in Nantes, photographing and documenting burial sites as part of an initiative to preserve the memory of the deceased for future generations.
Isabel actively participates in the "Save Our Graves" operation, an initiative by Geneanet, a website where genealogists share the results of their research. She photographs and catalogs old burial sites to preserve their memory in a collective digital database. "The goal is to keep a record in a database, so that in 20 years, even if the grave disappears, we can still find it," Isabel explains. "Currently, I've posted 717, but I have three times more waiting to be uploaded."
Her work takes her regularly through the cemeteries of Nantes, particularly those of La Bouteillerie and La Miséricorde, where she immortalizes burial sites with her camera. "Every weekend, wherever I go, I always make a stop at a cemetery," says Isabel, who sees her work as a way of passing on history to future generations. For her, even the smallest grave holds significance. "Even the smallest tomb has its importance. Maintaining it means maintaining memory," she emphasizes.
Isabel approaches her work with deep respect for both the deceased and their families. She maintains strict ethical guidelines in her documentation process. "I never photograph recent graves. I am discreet and I respect people and the place," she states. Her hope is that her research will help other people understand their history and enrich the large genealogical database available online.
Today, many cemeteries offer guided tours and visits, including the Miséricorde cemetery in Nantes, which is part of the "Voyage à Nantes" cultural program. Visitors can admire funerary art, including the graves of prominent Nantes families such as the Decrés and the Dubigeons who are buried there. These historic burial sites represent not just individual lives, but the broader history of the city itself.
Isabel's passion for genealogy began in an unexpected way. "I've always been somewhat interested in history," confides the resident of Rezé, who is passionate about genealogy and local history. Her interest was sparked when she visited the exhibition "The Faces of Oradour," where she discovered her calling: tracing the family connections of the victims of the Oradour-sur-Glane tragedy before diving into her own family history. "I said to myself: now I'm ready, I can do my genealogy."
Living in Rezé in Loire-Atlantique but originally from Portugal, Isabel discovered the particular challenges of foreign genealogy research. "The laws are different... Children first take the mother's name," she explains. This cultural subtlety makes research complex, especially since some records are untraceable or not digitized. Isabel sometimes had to travel directly to Portuguese town halls to find old records. "I preferred to go directly to the town hall. It was more efficient," she recalls.
Through her dedicated work, she has been able to trace her lineage back to 1700 in Portugal. "Beyond that, it's more complicated: first names repeat, the writing is illegible," she notes. The challenges of deciphering old handwriting and identifying individuals with common names create additional obstacles in her genealogical research.
Today, Isabel continues her dual mission: pursuing her own genealogy while enriching the "Save Our Graves" project. She finds endless fascination in both endeavors. "It's an endless chain... But that's what's beautiful about it. We're never really finished searching," she reflects. Her work represents a bridge between the past and present, ensuring that the stories of those who came before are not lost to time and that future generations will have access to their ancestral heritage.
