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◆ Flaignes-Havys: The fortified churches dedicated to St. Lawrence in Flaignes les Oliviers and St. Géry in Havys - C2 In 1982, the villages of Flaignes les Oliviers and Havys merged to become the village of Flaignes-Havys. The two ancient villages each had its own fortified church. St. Lawrence’s in Flaignes les Oliviers is said to date, at least in part, from the 11th century but most of it was rebuilt in the early 17th century after various exactions imposed by the Burgundians and Spaniards. The first two spans in the nave (there are no side aisles) and the bell tower topping the West Front date from circa 1660. The next three spans date from 1580 and the chancel at the end may be from the same period, if it is true that the crocheted capitals and brackets with palmettes were 13th-century features that were re-used. Two chapels flank the nave and the entrance to the chancel. The chapel on the north side dates from 1480; the one on the south side from 1666. One of them contains some interesting tombstones. The entire eastern side of the church was designed as a system of defence. The walls were built with loopholes and a raised loft provided a place of refuge accessed from a tower on the north side. In Havys, the fortified church dedicated to St. Géry is more modest, although it also has a tower. It is said to date from the 16th century. Église fortifiée Saint-Laurent de Flaignes Flaignes - 08260 FLAIGNES-HAVYS Église fortifiée Saint Géry de Havys Havys- 08260 FLAIGNES-HAVYS ◆ St. Stephen’s fortified church in Fligny - B1 In common with many others in the region of Thierache, the church in Fligny suffered at the hands of the military, regular army and mercenaries, who scoured this land right through from the Hundred Year’s War to the troubled times of the 16th and 17th centuries. Destroyed in 1340, put to the torch by the imperial army in 1521 and again, by the prince of Orange in 1555, it was rebuilt in 1570 thanks to the generosity of François de Lorraine. The chancel is flanked by a round access tower and has a raised garret for taking refuge, with numerous arrow slits in the walls. Église Saint-Etienne de Fligny 08380 FLIGNY 8 ◆ St. Stephen’s fortified church in Laval-Morency - C3 St. Stephen’s Church in Laval Morency was burnt down in 1622. Later, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style. At present, the church has a Cross-shaped layout with a nave but no side aisles. The church has ribbed vaulting except for the rounded chancel which has a ceiling. The loft is reached by a spiral staircase in one of the round towers dotted with loopholes, flanking the south arm of the transept. The loopholes were designed for defensive purposes. On the walls of the arms of the transept are corbels for a bartizan. The fortified church in Laval-Morency has been listed in the Additional Inventory of Historic Monuments. Église fortifiée Saint-Etienne de Laval-Morency 08150 LAVAL-MORENCY ◆ Notre-Dame fortified church in Liart - D2 It is said that, in the 11th century, a statue of the Virgin Mary was found in a wood at the confluence of the Glandu and Deuline rivers. The statue was wrapped in ivy, hence the name of the village of Liart (ivy = lierre in France). The wooden statue, found almost 1,000 years ago, gave Liart a patron saint, Our Lady of Liart, who protected its parishioners in the superb fortified building. Notre-Dame Church was fortified in the 15th century and resembles a castle. Its impressive rectangular westwork looks like a two-storey keep. A bartizan and countless slit windows defended the narrow west door. The two turrets lead to an attic in which people could shelter. The stained-glass window in the chancel is a reminder of the pilgrimage to Our Lady of Joy to pray to its black Virgin Mary. When you come to Liart, you can also visit an orchard-conservatorium set up by Liart Council, and the future Ardennes regional country park. Église Notre-Dame de Liart - 08230 LIART 9
◆ St. Martin’s fortified church in Prez - C2 St. Martin’s fortified church in Prez consists of a nave leading into a chancel with a raised loft designed as a place of refuge and defence. The defensive nature of the building is further accentuated by the presence of a flanked round tower dotted with slit windows on the south side. Two apsidal chapels projecting beyond the line of the building on the outside open onto the entrance of the chancel, forming something like a transept. The entire church was built in the 16th century. The ribs on the vaulting penetrate into the pillars. Église fortifiée Saint-Martin de Prez 08290 PREZ ◆ The fortified church in Remilly-les-Pothées - D3 The fortified church in Remilly-les-Pothées dates from the 14th century. The ogival-styled church is fully vaulted and perfectly preserved; it has undergone no alteration whatsoever. It consists of a nave and side aisles, a transept and an apse. Église fortifiée de Remilly-les-Pothées 08150 REMILLY-LES-POTHEES ◆ St. Nicholas fortified church in Signy-le-Petit - B1/B2 The church in Signy-le-Petit was built in the 17th century after the previous chapel was burnt down in 1636 by the Spaniards. Construction took 6 years to complete between 1680 and 1686, as is evident from the dates engraved in the front of the tower (1680) and on the outside above a machicolation (1686). The church forms a Latin cross 36 metres long, 10.66 metres wide in the nave and 12 metres high up to the vaulting. The spire on the bell tower rises to a height of 30 metres above the ground. The walls, 3 metres thick at the base of the tower, were built of quartzite schist. The westwork, flanked by two watch turrets with pepperpot roofs, leads into the nave which has brick vaulting over ribs built of yellow stone. Église fortifiée de Signy-le-Petit 08380 SIGNY-LE-PETIT 10 ◆ The fortified church in Tarzy - B2 Tarzy, a village typical of Thiérache, has a fortified church dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Built to a rectangular layout with a defensive tower in the north-east corner and interior vaulting, it has withstood numerous sieges during the various periods of invasion. Its nave has a ceiling and the chancel with its ribbed vaulting dates from 1570. There is a shelter above the chancel, where the roof is higher than in the nave. Countless defensive openings can be seen right round the building. Église fortifiée de Tarzy - 08380 TARZY ◆ Fortified house in Rumigny, la Cour des Prés - C1 This fortified house was built in 1546 for the Provost of Rumigny, Louis Martin, in answer to a call from King François I to fortify the region and provide better protection for the population against invasion by Charles V’s imperial troops. It was in the old castle in Rumigny, in 1643, that the Great Condé decided to fight the famous Battle of Rocroi. Jean-Baptiste Piette, a descendent of Louis Martin, had to demolish the keep and drawbridge during the Reign of Terror. When the Directoire took over government, he restored his house and added a tower on the south side. Edouard Piette, his grandson, was one of the “founding fathers” of the science of prehistory. He brought all the items he uncovered during digs to Rumigny, later bequeathing them to the museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. La Cour des Prés, which has often been passed on down the female line, has always remained in the same family and each owner has left something of his/her own period of history. Evening functions with candlelit dinners are held in the Renaissance rooms of the historic Cour des Prés during the summer season. Part of the house has been made into B&B accommodation. La Cour des Prés - 1 rue Louis Martin (Champlin road) - 08290 RUMIGNY Information, guided tours and special events: Tel. +33(0) 324 355 266 - Email: la-cour-des-pres@laposte.net 11
Page 1 and 2: Map L ocated to the north of the Ch
Page 3 and 4: Tourism office of Rocroy and North-
Page 5 and 6: Hint ofHeritage ◆ Rocroi, a star-
Page 7: ◆ Fortified church in Aouste - C2
Page 11 and 12: ◆ Bonnefontaine Abbey - D1 The ol
Page 13 and 14: ◆ School Museum - C3 Housed in th
Page 15 and 16: Map of North-West Ardennes
Page 17 and 18: D onkey rides ◆ “Rando Anes”
Page 19 and 20: 26 26 Arts &Crafts ◆ Maubert Font
Page 21 and 22: GroupAccommodation ◆ Au cœur des
Page 23 and 24: ◆ Rimogne - C3 No. 08MS070 - 3 Cl

La Thiérache – Rocroi Plateau – Sormonne Valley - Office de ...

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