Ca01 St-Valéry-sur-Somme.

 

I have to admit we did not go and look for the defences at Ca01 as we were very busy with other things but I have added some pages about St-Valéry-sur-Somme. To get to the remaining defences walk to the river and go along the south bank, Quay Jeanne d'Arc towards the sea. The the defences are along the Quay.

Quay Blavet.

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 Valéry 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 Catholics 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

The castle gate. Jeanne D'arc was captured at Compiégne by the English-allied Burgundian faction, was later handed over to the English and then put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais on a variety of charges and was convicted on 30 May 1431 and burned at the stake when she was about 19 years old.

Somme estuary and the end of a very good day.

A prominent house on the north bank.