Longpré-les-Corps-Saints
Encyclopedia
Longpré-les-Corps-Saints is a commune
in Somme
department in Picardie
in northern France
.
, surrounded by peat fen, some 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Abbeville
. The railway from Paris
to Boulogne-sur-Mer
has a station here.
An earlier local railway, once carried freight and some passengers. It opened in 1872 and closed in 1993.
s from the Holy Land
. The region was quite wealthy, thanks to the exploitation of the peat
, found here in abundance.
A collegial church was established here, and by the 13th century had attrached the attention of Popes, notably Innocent III and Gregory IX who granted it their protection. It was called at that time “Longpré -les-Corps-Saints”. The relics would be promenaded though the streets, a practise which still goes on nowadays.
Longpré was burnt down twice by the English during the Hundred Years War, the first time just before the Battle of Crécy
, the second time before the Battle of Agincourt
.
Pope Eugene IV
had the badly-damaged church rebuilt in 1437,.
During the Wars of Religion
, to avoid the Huguenots, the inhabitants of Longpré ran way. The clergy of the collegial church, the canon
s, took refuge at Saint-Vulfran’s abbey in Abbeville. Afterwards, the collegial chapter was restored, but it was never as great as in its earlier days. By the time of the French Revolution
, there were only 10 canons.
On 28 December 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War
, the Germans fought and killed 8 and wounded 15 combatants and civilians. 60 French prisoners were taken
From the 28th May to the 6th June 1940, French troops were engaged in defending the town against the panzers of General Rommel
. The town was reduced to rubble. 90% of the town was destroyed and the spire
of the church collapsed.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in Somme
Somme
Somme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
department in Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Situated on the D3 and D216 junction and on the banks of the Somme RiverSomme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
, surrounded by peat fen, some 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Abbeville
Abbeville
Abbeville is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Location:Abbeville is located on the Somme River, from its modern mouth in the English Channel, and northwest of Amiens...
. The railway from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
has a station here.
An earlier local railway, once carried freight and some passengers. It opened in 1872 and closed in 1993.
Population
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1858 | 1902 | 1857 | 1641 | 1519 | 1561 | 1691 |
| Starting in 1962: Population without duplicates | ||||||
History
Les Corps Saints is named after the thousands of supposedly holy relics (the bones of saints, pieces of the ‘true cross’ etc) brought back by CrusaderCrusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
s from the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. The region was quite wealthy, thanks to the exploitation of the peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
, found here in abundance.
A collegial church was established here, and by the 13th century had attrached the attention of Popes, notably Innocent III and Gregory IX who granted it their protection. It was called at that time “Longpré -les-Corps-Saints”. The relics would be promenaded though the streets, a practise which still goes on nowadays.
Longpré was burnt down twice by the English during the Hundred Years War, the first time just before the Battle of Crécy
Battle of Crécy
The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
, the second time before the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
.
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV
Pope Eugene IV , born Gabriele Condulmer, was pope from March 3, 1431, to his death.-Biography:He was born in Venice to a rich merchant family, a Correr on his mother's side. Condulmer entered the Order of Saint Augustine at the monastery of St. George in his native city...
had the badly-damaged church rebuilt in 1437,.
During the Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
, to avoid the Huguenots, the inhabitants of Longpré ran way. The clergy of the collegial church, the canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
s, took refuge at Saint-Vulfran’s abbey in Abbeville. Afterwards, the collegial chapter was restored, but it was never as great as in its earlier days. By the time of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, there were only 10 canons.
On 28 December 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, the Germans fought and killed 8 and wounded 15 combatants and civilians. 60 French prisoners were taken
From the 28th May to the 6th June 1940, French troops were engaged in defending the town against the panzers of General Rommel
Rommel
Erwin Rommel was a German World War II field marshal.Rommel may also refer to:*Rommel *Rommel Adducul , Filipino basketball player*Rommel Fernández , first Panamanian footballer to play in Europe...
. The town was reduced to rubble. 90% of the town was destroyed and the spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
of the church collapsed.
Places of interest
- The church
- The 1870 war memorial, listing 5 dead
- The 1914-1918 war memorial, listing 42 French dead.
- The British war cemetery 1914-1918 contains the remains of 78 British & Commonwealth troops and one French soldier.
- Memorial to the Battle of FranceBattle of FranceIn the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, June 1940