Let me tell you about something personal, nostalgic, memorable, will tell you more of the historical architecturally stunning beautiful off the beaten path City of Meaux, in the Seine et Marne dept 77 of the Île de France region of my belle France. I have several posts on the City for many good reasons. I look at two older posts with similar text and decided to update the text with new links and include the older pictures into one post, This could feel long but its all worth it me think, Therefore, here is my take again on curiosities of Meaux, part VI !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
Once again I have to come back to this quant town that was my introduction to my belle France many years ago, and thereafter , many times here that I lost count, I know the town as here began my French history when I met a young lady native of the City of Meaux back in 1990, 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. And thanks forever for giving me 3 wonderful good young men. My first trip without her was tough on our wedding anniversary (26 December) my young lady was not with me. It was a sad trip, but a must trip to relieve those times and gain strenght with the family for the future.
We passed by the cinema Majestic in which I saw my first movies in France at place Henri IV. Now part of the UGC cinema group, update: It was left unattended for a period of time but now it has been renovated new since April 2024. My pictures are older. The official UGC Majestic Cinema: https://www.ugc.fr/cinema.html?id=39
While there we realized they had a Christmas market at the Place Henri IV, where many times we did parking to walk into the old town area on Rue Général Leclerc. It had now an ice skating ring as in many years.
Walking along the Rue Général Leclerc we go into the old town direction the St Stephens Cathedral (see posts) , and we found many familiar spots still open like the wonderful La Fromagerie or cheese store! We walked all over along the Rue du Faubourg St Nicolas into old town past place Henri IV and the Rue Général Leclerc, We headed back to the city and parked this time by the boulevard Jean Rose right next to the old ramparts and behind the Cathédrale Saint Etienne (St Stephen), this is wonderful indeed. You walked past the wonderful old hospital or Hôtel-Dieu where the historical archives of the city are now kept. Again on Rue du Faubourg Saint Nicolas ,and along the Rue Noefort (my dear Martine’ st).
The Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Nicolas is none other than the Decumanus Maximus which crossed the ancient city from east to west. In the 5C, there was Sainte Céline, a friend of Saint Geneviève; On her tomb, placed extra muros in the ancient tradition, arose a church that had to endure until the French revolution. So along this wonderful street off my dear late wife Martine street, we found our bakery of old; and of course we purchase the baguettes, apple pie ,chocolate flan, to take to the family as sharing is a French passion especially when food is concerned. The bakery is Le Fournil du Faubourg (under new owners) at 52 rue du faubourg st nicolas.
As I am on foood, let me tell you about another gem. I have another exclusive post on it but briefly, this is Meaux. If you know French gastronomy and you should simply the best always imitated but never better,then you should know about Brie. The Brie de Meaux cheese (the real one here! ) was elected by the leaders of Europe in the Congress of Vienna of 1815 as the king of cheeses and the cheese of kings! Here is the original anywhere else is imitation even if legally sold the milk for the original has to come from Brie country and only here you get the Terre de Meaux brie with raw cow milk from the Meaux region or pays de Meaux!! Enjoy it while here, short distance from Paris and Disneyland and none better than the Fromagerie Saint Faron, (see post) unique. The local Meaux Marne Ourcq tourist office on the cheese factory : https://www.meaux-marne-ourcq.com/en/savour/our-producers-shops/4672273_fromagerie-saint-faron/
Take this opportunity to tell you a bit about the history of Meaux ! Huge challenge but will condense the most important , me think, This is it on my sentimental Meaux !!!
The city of Meaux is very old going back as much as 3000 years before Christ! The tribus Melde chose to established themselves here and made it their capital along the Marne river, We came say that Meaux enter in our history with the wars of the Gauls in the 1C BC, We can estimate it had 200 hectares which will put it above Senlis and behind Paris,
The land of Saints, starting with a young girl name Céline, who look for the protection of Saint Génevievre, The patron Saint of Meaux was venerated for centuries in Paris, Around 610 the Irish monk Saint Colomban blessed her, At the same time Faron bishop and count of Meaux , later Saint Faron, ordered built the abbey of Saint Croix or Holy Cross that after his death was known by his name, The most welcome in this land of Saints was Saint Fiacre that came here for retirement and received the lands of Breuil and after cutting some trees and digging some holes, the lands expands by a miracle so becoming the patron Saint of the Brie and gardeners,
The Normans that ransacked Paris were coming along the Marne river and made several incursions to Meaux in the second half of the 9C, doing the same ransack and pillage, By 1179 Henri I gives Meaux a charter similar to a city today, The capital of the Brie enjoys the fruit of a growing commerce even to be name the granary of Paris, The city is attach to the Royal domain when Jeanne de Navarre marries Philippe le Bel in 1284. Meaux goes thru the Hundred Years War that was very rude when in 1346 Edward III of England invades the region of today Île de France,In the year of seditions, the Dauphin future Charles V leaves Meaux leaving a garrison of 300 men, and women in the fortified market, But the local Meldois (as native of Meaux from an old Celtic tribe) were in favor of Etienne Marcel in Paris and put a siege on the the city with as much as 10 000 men ! After the defeat of the locals the population is massacre, the churches destroyed and the city burned, Later the peace came back thanks to the king Charles V and constable De Guesclin and Meaux has peace until the 15C. The English came in the conflict between the Armagnacs and Burgundians and take Meaux until 1439,When the constable Richemont (Duke Arthur III of Brittany !) attack the city in the name of the king of France and the English surrender in 1439.
By early 16C Meaux comes back on a renewal of faith with Guillaume Briçonnet of Touraine who succeeded his father as bishop of Saint Germain des Prés, He was name to the episcopal siege of Meaux in 1515, By 1521, he brings to Meaux, Jacques Lefévre d’Etaples, theologian and humanist, and spread the faith, we name them the cenacle of Meaux, They prohibit the writing of Luther in 1523, When the Reformation, the first martyr was in Meaux, name Jean Leclerc for denouncing the Pope he will be burned alive, The atrocities continue in 1546 when folks taken in the market area were taken to Paris and executed, In 1562 the abbey Saint Faron is pillage as well as the cathedral when the huguenots destroyed the statues decorating the church, After siding with the League, Meaux was the first city to accept Henri IV as king. Born in Dijon in 1627 Jacques Bénigne Bossuet was at age 54 name by Louis XIV bishop of Meaux,The brilliant eagle as Voltaire describe him, made anormous sermons and made shake the cathedral,He lived in Meaux by the Marne river he takes inspiration for his speeches, In 22 year of bishop he goes all over the roads and trails speaking to all who listen, He approved the revocation of the Edit of Nantes in 1685 while enforcing the Catholic faith, Bossuet suffering stone desease died in Paris rue Sainte Anne April 12 1704, His body was brought back to Meaux and rest in the Cathedral near the altar.
On the night of 24-25 june 1791 the bishop of Meaux Pierre Thuin received Louis XVI and his royal family at the episcopal palace, The French revolution turns to the Empire early 19C, Meaux is the most important town in the department, the canal de l’Ourcq started under Napoléon I is finished in 1825, Before by 1814 the Seine et Marne was the center of battles, the emperor arrived in Meaux and spent the night at the bishop writing 21 letters ! By March 28 it was the turn of Blücher to spent the night in Meaux after the French troops left the town, While in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna Talleyrand or Metternich chose the Brie of Meaux cheese as king of cheeses and prince of desserts ! The railroad line Paris-Meaux is opened in September 2 1849 by the Prince Emperor Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (future Napoléon III),
You have great lands and immense pride in the Marne surrounding Meaux, the battles of WWI or the Great War of great courage and human determination. Especially the battle of September 5 to 12 1914, There is a huge monument to the fallen on the road to Varreddes measuring 21 meters high and offered by the Americans francophiles on the First Battle of the Marne, opened in 1932. You have courageous towns such as Barcy, Chambry (this is where I met the family of my dear late wife Martine, still some living there) where the battle of September 7 where the inhabitants went to the front and saw the zigzag of the Germans marching in the city and then retreating, The cemetery reads here « Children of Brie in the cemetery go sit in front of the wall of the Zouaves, our history, pray that their glory always remains our hope » The WWII starts and Meaux once again in the shoe of the occupant, Finally, August 27 1944 the city is liberated by a column of American armored vehicules under commander Wolner, Meaux today is the most important city in the Seine et Marne dept 77.
The Local Meaux Marne Ourcq tourist office on Meaux: https://www.meaux-marne-ourcq.com/en/discover/must-see-places/
The city of Meaux on things to see/do: https://www.ville-meaux.fr/?id=821
The Seine et Marne dept 77 tourist office on Meaux: https://www.tourisme-seine-et-marne.fr/blog/le-pays-de-meaux-un-concentre-dhistoire-et-de-patrimoine-gastronomique/#
There you go folks, a wonderful City still on the off the beaten path but worth the detour, me think, To me it will always bring nice memories that will not go away, The memories will never be forgotten and my travels, and blog is a constant reminder of those beautiful wonderful times. Meaux is the prime suspect with the Seine et Marne as complice. Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Meaux, part VI !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 