Sacralisation and Monumentalisation of World War I in the Isonzo/Soča Region

This article examines the monumentalisation of World War I in the Isonzo/Soča region (today divided between Italy and Slovenia), promoted by the Italian government and local authorities during the interwar period. Following Italy’s victory in the war, the liberal state – and even more emphatically Mussolini’s regime – fostered a patriotic cult that supported the dictator’s efforts to present Fascism as the rightful heir to that victory. This ideological framework found material expression in the construction of three major charnel houses at Redipuglia/Sredipolje, Oslavia/Oslavje, and Caporetto/Kobarid, as well as in monuments dedicated to individual soldiers. These memorials sought to both sacralise and monumentalise the war and its fallen, who were portrayed as “heroes” of the homeland. The article provides an overview of the most significant and emblematic memorial sites. It focuses on the construction histories of some of them – selected as case studies – by analysing archival documentation, primarily produced by the Prefecture of Gorizia and partially submitted to the Cabinet of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Italy.