Paris1972-Versailles2003

As usual lately, digging into my cd rom vault of memories found me new pictures that should be in my blog for you and me. The town of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is located in the Somme department 80 in the Hauts-de-France region and in my belle France. It is one of three ports in the Bay of Somme,located 23 km from Abbeville ,72 km Amiens, 56 km from Dieppe,103 km from Arras, 216 km from Versailles, and 562 km from my current home. Therefore, this is my take on this is Valéry sur Somme !!!Hope you enjoy this post as I.

The porte Guillaume or William Gate, also called the « porte du Haut » or « porte Jeanne d’Arc » in memory of her passage through this gate in December 1430 before going to Rouen to be judged, is one of the oldest vestiges of the city. The two towers already existed, it seems, during the forced stopover of the fleet of the Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, in 1066, setting out to conquer England. This is where the name of the gate comes from. Joan of Arc, coming from Crotoy, crossed this gate on December 20, 1430 to go to Rouen. The complex is formed by two massive round towers, with consoles and machicolations, to which are attached two buildings with one floor and underground passages which served as guardhouses and prisons. A section of curtain wall is still visible. In summer, a pink carnation called the “crusader carnation” grows on the walls. 

The Porte de Nevers  or Nevers Gate or “Lower Gate” was built in the 16C. It replaced an older building whose foundations are still visible in the current building. Above the entrance arch, one can see the sculpted coat of arms of the Duke of Gonzague-Nevers, surmounted by the motto “fides” which was that of the City, in memory of the participation of the municipal militia in the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. The lower gate took the name Nevers Gate in honor of Louis IV of Gonzague-Nevers, Duke of Nevers who fought the League and the Spanish in Picardy at the beginning of the reign of Henry IV. It is a brick and stone building, in elevation, topped with a gable roof covered with slate. The exterior facade still bears the locations where the uprights of the drawbridge were fitted. Above stood the guardhouse. To the right, a postern gate, now walled up, provided direct access to the beach. To the left, the old dungeon remains, which now hosts art exhibitions.

The Chapelle, dite des marins, or the Sailors’ Chapel, is located on the heights of Cape Hornu. Its very first construction was carried out in 628 by Saint Blimont on the site of the burial of Valery, apostle of Vimeu. It underwent an initial reconstruction in 1675, then was replaced by a new chapel built in 1878. The sanctuary was completely renovated in 2013 under the auspices of the French Heritage. The chapel, in the neo-Gothic style, features checkerboard walls of white stone and flint. Its bell tower is topped with a seagull. Inside, the tympanum is carved from solid wood, and numerous votive offerings can be seen on its walls. Saint Fiacre, patron saint of gardeners and farmers, is also celebrated here.

Other things to see here are the lock to the sea, which controls the outlet of the Somme. The phare or lighthouse of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme ; stands on the northern end of the towpath, right bank of the Somme, at the entrance to the port. The Church Saint-Martin was built in the 13C, It is composed of two twin naves separated by large Gothic arcades. It was devastated by the fighting between the French and the English during the Hundred Years’ War and between the French and the Burgundians during the reign of Louis XI. It was largely rebuilt at the end of the 15C. The abbey of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is the oldest in the diocese of Amiens. The monastic community founded by Saint Valery in the 7C was inspired by Columbanism. It was destroyed during the French revolution. The abbey church was sold and became a stone quarry. Today, only the convent house, private property, remains. On Quai Lejoille, another old building is the salt warehouse. It dates from 1736 and could store up to 20,000 tons of salt. Saint-Valery supplied Picardy, Artois, Champagne and Burgundy. The Hôtel-Dieu the hospital chapel preserves several objects or works of art such as a bas-relief representing the Entombment (16C), a reliquary from the 17C, embroidered wall decoration (17C), paintings from the 17C representing the Resurrection; the Virgin and Child, Saint Genevieve, saint: Jesuit; Saint Bernard of Abbeville; The Upper Town district (18C), The Sailors’ Calvary erected in homage to them, there is an anchor decorated with flowers. At the top of an iron stake, the wind direction is indicated. The English, French, American and Canadian flags can be seen. The Calvary was restored in 1991.

A bit of history I like tell us that according to the hagiography of the diocese of Amiens, King Clotaire II granted the ancient Gallo-Roman domain of Leucone to the eponymous saint, Valéry (born in Auvergne around 565, died on December 12, 622 at Cape Hornu). Leucone remained a place of pilgrimage until the 11C. In 981, Hugh Capet crossed the ford of Blanquetaque to seize the relics of Valery of Leuconay. The medieval town was formed around this time around the sanctuary of Saint-Valéry , An episode of the conquest of England by William the Conqueror took place in Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme: after its departure from Normandy, unfavorable winds and weather conditions forced the Norman army to take refuge in the bay of Saint-Valery while waiting for the right moment to re-embark, which took place at the end of September 1066 , Saint-Valéry was now in the hands of the Counts of Dreux until Jeanne II de Dreux, wife of Louis de Thouars in 1330. In 1358-1359, the Constable Robert de Fiennes, lieutenant of the king in Picardy, and the Count of Saint-Pol, Guy V de Châtillon-Saint-Pol, laid siege to the town which had fallen in 1356 in the hands of the supporters of the King of Navarre and Count of Evreux, Charles the Bad, the Navarrese then dominated the country between Dieppe and Abbeville. Dissatisfied with the passivity of Jeanne de Dreux in the face of the Navarrese, the regent Charles confiscated Saint-Valéry and gave it to Jean d’Artois, Count of Eu, who in turn was the lady of St-Valery. The succession passed after her to the Burgundy (Valois)-Nevers, whose posterity exercised the lordship until the French revolution. There are still important remains today, testifying in particular to the passage of Joan of Arc in this city in December 1430. During the Wars of Religion, the Huguenots took Saint-Valery in June 1568. It was defeated on July 18 at the Battle of Saint-Valery. Then, Saint-Valery was recaptured. Napoleon I went to Saint-Valery twice to inspect the work on the Somme Canal. From 1914 to 1918, the port of Saint-Valery was very busy. In August 1914, Belgian and French refugees fleeing the combat zones found refuge in Saint-Valery. In 1915, the British used the port of Saint-Valery to supply troops with munitions, wine, clinker, wood, etc.

The town of Saint Valéry sur Somme on its heritage : https://www.saint-valery-sur-somme.fr/les-incontournables

The local Baie du Somme tourist office on Saint Valéry sur Somme : https://www.tourisme-baiedesomme.fr/en/discover/saint-valery-sur-somme-cite-medievale-et-maritime/

The Somme dept 80 tourist office on Saint Valéry sur Somme : https://www.somme-tourisme.com/en/discover/the-somme-bay/saint-valery-sur-somme-medieval-town/

The Hauts de France region tourist office on Saint Valéry sur Somme : https://www.tourisme-en-hautsdefrance.com/decouvrir/les-villages-de-charme/saint-valery-sur-somme/

There you go folks, another quant town by the bay and ocean. Oh yes there is more to see an ever ending source of wonderful architecture and history in my belle France, I am working on it ! Saint Valéry sur Somme is nice and walking its main streets and promenades is a delight. Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Saint Valéry sur Somme !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!