Saint-Valery-sur-Somme
Encyclopedia
Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is a commune
in the Somme
department. The village is a popular tourist destination because of its medieval character and ramparts, Gothic church and long waterside boardwalk.
coast adjacent to the Baie de la Somme and at the mouth of the Somme river. It is 30 km north west of Abbeville
and to the west of the battlefields of the Somme. The majority of the commune lies adjacent to the sea and the Somme river on the Quai du Romerel, Quai Courbet, Quai Jeanne d'Arc, Quai Blavet and the Quai Perree. The oldest part of the commune lies on the northern coast to the north west of the main settlement. To the south is the main road, the CD940 between Abbeville and Cayeux-sur-Mer
.
invasion when it was a small settlement inhabited by Gauls
. The Roman invasion encouraged the small hamlet to grow into a small village and after the Romans left France the village soon came under the power of the Franks
.
In 611, the Gualaric monk known as Valery arrived in the area. He installed himself as a hermit on the headland of the site of Leuconaus. His virtue and miracles quickly attracted disciples. These disciples formed a primitive abbey. The saint was then buried there in 622 and became known as Saint Blimont. Clotaire II
(King of Neustrie) provided the foundations of the new abbey in 627. The relics of the saint attracted many pilgrims to the abbey which had become known as Saint-Valery. During the 8th and 9th century, the abbey and village were plundered and devastated on several occasions by the Vikings.
The village grew during the 10th and 11th centuries and was historically significant as the site where William the Conqueror assembled his fleet before sailing over to England
in 1066. During the many wars between the French
and the English
the village passed between French, English and Burgundian ownership. The English destroyed the abbey and cloister in order to strengthen the nearby St Valery castle. In 1431, Joan of Arc
, captive of the English
, was held prisoner in the local prison where she was then conveyed to Rouen
and burnt at the stake. The cell in which she stayed can still be found near part of the old village walls.
The commune found peace and prosperity during the 15th , 16th and 17th centuries. The abbey was rebuilt and still stands today. The activity of the port flourished, thanks to the export of the wines and the growth of the herring
industry. It was near enough to Paris
to be one of the earlier suppliers of the chasse marée merchants. The commune mirrors the history of France, becoming a site of religious conflict between Protestants and Catholic
s and later as a source of conflict during the French revolution
.
The commune was popular during the 19th century with artists and writers and Victor Hugo
, Jules Verne
, Sisley
and Degas all had villas here at one time or another.
Saint-Valery has a station (and out-of-season terminus) of the narrow gauge "Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme" (Somme Bay Railway), which is now largely a tourist attraction. Running around the entire length of the bay, this railway connects Le Crotoy
with Noyelles-sur-Mer
, and Saint-Valery; in the summer season trains also run from Saint-Valery to Cayeux-sur-Mer
and the sands at Brighton Plage.
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 the 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. The village is a popular tourist destination because of its medieval character and ramparts, Gothic church and long waterside boardwalk.
Geography
The commune is on the PicardiePicardie
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...
coast adjacent to the Baie de la Somme and at the mouth of the Somme river. It is 30 km north west 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...
and to the west of the battlefields of the Somme. The majority of the commune lies adjacent to the sea and the Somme river on the Quai du Romerel, Quai Courbet, Quai Jeanne d'Arc, Quai Blavet and the Quai Perree. The oldest part of the commune lies on the northern coast to the north west of the main settlement. To the south is the main road, the CD940 between Abbeville and Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is a seaside town, situated on the D102 road, some northwest of Abbeville.-Population:-Places of interest:...
.
Population
History
The history of the commune dates back to before the era of the RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
invasion when it was a small settlement inhabited by Gauls
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
. The Roman invasion encouraged the small hamlet to grow into a small village and after the Romans left France the village soon came under the power of the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
.
In 611, the Gualaric monk known as Valery arrived in the area. He installed himself as a hermit on the headland of the site of Leuconaus. His virtue and miracles quickly attracted disciples. These disciples formed a primitive abbey. The saint was then buried there in 622 and became known as Saint Blimont. Clotaire II
Clotaire II
Chlothar II , called the Great or the Young , King of Neustria, and, from 613 to 629, King of all the Franks, was not yet born when his father, King Chilperic I died in 584...
(King of Neustrie) provided the foundations of the new abbey in 627. The relics of the saint attracted many pilgrims to the abbey which had become known as Saint-Valery. During the 8th and 9th century, the abbey and village were plundered and devastated on several occasions by the Vikings.
The village grew during the 10th and 11th centuries and was historically significant as the site where William the Conqueror assembled his fleet before sailing over to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1066. During the many wars between the French
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...
and the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
the village passed between French, English and Burgundian ownership. The English destroyed the abbey and cloister in order to strengthen the nearby St Valery castle. In 1431, Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
, captive of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was held prisoner in the local prison where she was then conveyed to Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
and burnt at the stake. The cell in which she stayed can still be found near part of the old village walls.
The commune found peace and prosperity during the 15th , 16th and 17th centuries. The abbey was rebuilt and still stands today. The activity of the port flourished, thanks to the export of the wines and the growth of the herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
industry. It was near enough to 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 be one of the earlier suppliers of the chasse marée merchants. The commune mirrors the history of France, becoming a site of religious conflict between Protestants and Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s and later as a source of conflict during 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...
.
The commune was popular during the 19th century with artists and writers and Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
, Sisley
Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life, in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedication to painting landscape en plein air...
and Degas all had villas here at one time or another.
Places of interest
- The abbey church
- The sea lockLock (water transport)A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
, controlling the flow of the Somme river - The stone tower, where, according to a tradition, Jeanne d'Arc was detained
- The house where Anatole FranceAnatole FranceAnatole France , born François-Anatole Thibault, , was a French poet, journalist, and novelist. He was born in Paris, and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire. He was a successful novelist, with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters...
resided
Railway
Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. The inhabitants are known as Crotellois-Geography:Le Crotoy is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, on the estuary of the river Somme, some northwest of Abbeville....
with Noyelles-sur-Mer
Noyelles-sur-Mer
Noyelles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Noyelles-sur-Mer is situated on the coast, facing the English Channel, on the D11 and D40 junction, some northwest of Abbeville.-Railways:...
, and Saint-Valery; in the summer season trains also run from Saint-Valery to Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is a seaside town, situated on the D102 road, some northwest of Abbeville.-Population:-Places of interest:...
and the sands at Brighton Plage.
See also
- Communes of the Somme department
- Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme
- Réseau des Bains de Mer