Always fun and memorable and sentimental to write about Meaux, in dept 77 Seine-et-Marne, in the Ïle de France region of my belle France. You might know, have several posts on this town and its region, as it is the native town of my dear late wife Martine! This is sort of an introduction I did , and would like to update the text and links, all in my black and white series,no pictures. Thanks for reading my blog , always appreciated. Therefore, here is my take on this is Meaux !!! Hope you enjoy it as I
And I do present you with Meaux, a historical town east of Paris , near Disneyland Paris and the Champagne region, but most importantly the fields of war of the Great War or WWI and its wonderful Gothic Cathedral , one of the best in France. A while back I didn’t even know there was a Meaux, a few years back. That is until I happened to meet a young lady in Paris ! She was a native of Meaux but worked in Paris as a secretary to a real estate company. The rest is history, wife,and 3 boys, and made many trips to Meaux, over the years. It would be hard to tell you everything about the town, that I have come to know every bit nook and cranny of it, where my boys roll in baby carriages since age 5 weeks !! for one and 6 mos for the other 2,twins !!! Even along cobblestone streets around the Cathedral!
My very first visit to Meaux was around September 10 1990 just before my birthday when came to meet the family of my girlfriend and later wife Martine, First stop was grandmother’s Fourré house in Meaux, 36 rue de Noefort, an emblematic building ever since, I landed at Roissy CDG airport and guess what took the bus !! The bus line 20 from Roissypôle to the gare de Meaux train station where my girlfriend picked me up. Second time around to host the reception with her family after our marriage in Daytona Beach, Florida and our first home in Ormond by the Sea was in around March 10 1991, and this time with my mom Gladys in tow we rented a Hertz car at Roissy CDG terminal 2 to make my first road warrior trip to Meaux ! We went out on the N104 la Francilienne road quickly moved into the D212 road direction Claye-Souilly to hook up with the N 3 road direction Meaux, this once entering the City becomes the D603 road ,you go around the Marne river bend direction Vareddes on Avenue du Maréchal Foch to the trafic light with Avenue de la République which we made a left turn into it, You go to the next trafic light that is sort of a circle but in triangular shape and make a sharp left into rue Noefort, Always in my mind.
We made several trips like this until we moved to France, my parents,my 3 boys and us included in 2003, We eventually settled in Versailles and continue the trips to grandma house and mother house in Chambry not far from Meaux about 5 km, There is still family in small villages all around it ,and had come back for many visits. Meaux was my first introduction to France; (other than brief one day visit in Paris1972) when every one arriving at CDG or Orly airports rush to see Paris ,etc and I was humbly taken a bus , yes a bus to reach Meaux and hook up with my girlfriend!! ,this was in 1990. Later, wife of 28 hugely wonderful years.
From rue Noefort, to pick up grandma Fourré and then go to mom Yvette house in Chambry , From rue Noefort we went back to the circle but instead took rue Croix Saint Loup to Avenue du Maréchal Joffre or the D2450 road past the cemetery where Dad Pierre is buried as well as Grandpa Georges past the wonderful Musée de la Grande Guerre or WWI museum which by here the road becomes the route de Vareddes past a trafic circle into the D405 road ,and you see a small sign of Chambry on the road Chemin de Dampleger (wheat fields!) ,this take you to Chambry to take right the road D140 Rue de Meaux, rue de la ville past the bakery or boulangerie and the Church St Pierre St Paul continue into Rue d’Ortheuil and mom’s house on the right side.
Here began my French history , and many wonderful trips and family gatherings, and as the saying goes, the rest is history and a beautiful one indeed falling short due to her cancer that took my dear late wife Martine on April 30, 2018 . Sad indeed and still hurts soothe only by the fact she gave me 3 wonderful good boys who are sticking with me thru hell and back and even greatly helped with their grandfather Elio, my Dad , until his passing January 7, 2023 in Pluvigner, My mom Gladys passed away in Versailles on December 27 2007, We are alone but strongly together, life goes on is short make the best of it while you can. On November 19, 2019 mamà, grandmother, my mother in law Yvette passed away in Chambry as well, I made a nostalgic sentimental trip with my sons and tag along my Dad Elio and dog Rex
Once the habit came back, and drove and took the trains. To come here from Paris, you can take the train at Gare de l’Est to the station in Meaux, or you can drive on the A4 connecting with the A140 straigth into town or do the scenic ride on the N3 from Porte de Pantin in Paris all the way to Champagne country passing thru city center Meaux. Bear in mind nowdays, the N3 is hugely congested. On the way back from Meaux to Paris we parked by a free parking in the Church of (église) Pantin to hook up with the metro Pantin line 5. Lately, the space has brought a paying parking they call it Yespark – Parking Pantin – Eglise Pommiers. However, not a secure place anymore sadly…
For those seeking alternatives from Paris and wishing to visit Disneyland Paris, Meaux is an excellent cheaper base. It is worth spending a night here or more as it is very close to Disneyland Paris. As we came with my parents and too large of a family already there (until sisters married away nearby) we use hotels such as the Campanile hotel ,very good friendly folks used for family gathering over the years, nice simple hotel chain here. webpage: https://meaux.campanile.com/en-us/
In city center, the historic Le Richemond is grand and very nice by the Marne river at good prices. Now part of the good inter-hotel chain:webpage: https://le-richemont-hotel-meaux.booked.net/en/
The town is divided into quartiers or neighborhood some newer away from the Marne river and the old ones from times afar such as the city center or centre ville, and ,the Marché , just across from the bridge over the river, the Faubourg Saint-Nicolas (near where my wife lived), The Rue du Faubourg Saint Nicolas extends to the east of the city, along the great eponymous artery, formerly known as the route d’Allemagne (road of Germany). It is circumscribed by the avenues of Maréchal Foch, du Maréchal Joffre, de la République, du président Salvador Allende,and the streets of rue des Béguines and rue des Cordeliers , and of course rue Noëfort (see post). The Châage-Saint Faron or area of the hospital (where she was born), and the ave de la Republique/La Croix de Varenne, from where the escapee Louis XVI was brought back to Paris spending a night here!!!
There is a new WWI museum nearby ,actually next to the Monument Americain in honor of US soldiers who participated in the Battle of the Marne here. Well you can read a lot on above on my previous posts. Here I like to tell you a bit on the St Stephens Cathedral (St Etienne) of Meaux. A wonderful Gothic Cathedral where only one bishop is buried ,he is the Eagle of Meaux, confessor of king Louis XIV and bishop of Meaux, Bossuet. The Eagle of Meaux as he was called. Two huges statues honor the centenary and bicentenary of his death inside the Cathedral. The old Chapter still is authentic and where the priest elders gave justice; you go in now on guided visit only. The Palace was the home of the bishop and it became a museum in 1908.
The city can claim wholly this beautiful Gothic Cathedral and its episcopal palace now museum , the garden done by André Le Nôtre!!! the remains of the medieval ramparts, and its historical festival recreating the middle ages! A must. Meaux is the biggest town in Seine-et-Marne, and the Cathedral took 350 years to built it, when normally a Cathedral took 100 years. This gives it a unique architecture and one of the rarest in France with remnants of the Gothic in the middle part of the Cathedral, like the Choir, then the Rosary and Organ tribune in a flamboyant style post 15C. Between the two a part of the nave stayed with its primitive style of the 13C; the stained glass are smaller.
The country of Meaux tourist office on the Cathédrale Saint Etienne: https://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.com/3416-cathedrale-basilique-saint-etienne
You reach the lower rooms ,the Chapel , and the bedroom of the Bishop as well as a reception room. The wooden floor is from the 19C, the windows gives you a view over the garden or Jardin Bossuet bordered with chestnut trees (where gave my first kiss!!). The geometrical shape reminds us of a miter for the Bishops. It was designed by Le Nôtre. This green space link the episcopal palace museum to the walls of the old fortifications and the town. At the times it was only a garden as well as a part of the town with canons houses; they purchased the land and later the bishop purchased the ramparts to enclosed all and creating the suspended garden in 1642! It was a great idea because today , are the only ramparts still on in Meaux. The whole is to be visit for free as well as the Cathedral, garden and courtyard (very nice). For individual guided visits they are done from April to November twice per month. They are free access on the weekends from April to October.
The jardin Bossuet from the country of Meaux tourist office: https://www.tourisme-paysdemeaux.com/2056-jardin-bossuet
The Jardin Bossuet from the city of Meaux: https://www.ville-meaux.fr/fr/tourisme/balade-a-meaux/le-jardin-bossuet.html
The museum or Musée Bossuet as I said opened in 1908 in the episcopal palace; today we can see an aquarelle by Delacroix , and a portrait by Courbet, given by the son of Chemistry Nobel Prize winner Henri Moissan, before going to WWI in 1914. The museum , also , gives credit to its biggest donor the neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux, that gave it about 50 portraits and about 20 engravings. You will see a huge herborist collection of 18 volumes given to the museum by him in the 19C. In the Chapel , the town has put enclosed glass furniture with archeological items like a collar on shells from the Black Sea dating from 4 000 years BC. A room is dedicated to portraits representing Bossuet. The museum is concentrated with paintings from the 17C to the 19C, and has on display between 1000 and 1500 works. Hours are from 10h to 12h and 14h to 17h , closed Sunday mornings, Mondays, and Tuesdays all day.
The official page for the Musée Bossuet: https://www.musee-bossuet.fr/
Numerous 17-18C townhouses constitute a remarkable civil heritage: the Hôtel de Longuejoue and Hôtel de la Regnaudière (Place Saint-Maur), Hôtel de la Sirène (Rue du Général Leclerc), Hôtel Passelaigue (Rue Rochard), Hôtel Macé de Montoury (Rue Saint-Rémy), Hôtel Marquelet de la Noue (Rue des Vieux Moulins), the Convent, etc. Religious congregations have also left their mark on the city’s urban heritage through architectural achievements such as the Convent of the Visitation (Faubourg de Chaage), the Augustinian House (Faubourg Saint-Nicolas), and the Ursuline Convent (now an annex of the Lycée Moissan, Rue des Ursulines). In the 19C, urban expansion led to the construction of numerous public facilities: a theater (1845), a Protestant temple in the Saint-Nicolas district (1848), a railway line (1849), a prison (1857), the City Hall and Bank of France building (1875), a metal market hall (1879), the courthouse (1884), a railway station (1890), a savings bank (1892), and a branch of the Nouvelles Galeries department store (around 1900). In 1828, a new City Hall was built on the site of the old castle, but it quickly became too small. In 1900, the City Hall was enlarged and given a monumental neoclassical façade. Its peristyle is surmounted by beautiful Ionic columns. Inside, overlooking the grand staircase, a stained-glass window depicts the proclamation of the commune of Meaux in 1179 by the Count of Champagne, Henry the Liberal.
There you go folks, Meaux ,a nice town really! off the beaten path it is but what a punch it carries in the history of France! And now all around the most visited places in France, good for the whole family. You should give yourselves a shot of encountering it. You will be surprise, Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Meaux !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 