13 December 2021

The history of Neufchâtel and photos of its church

But first, I want to say happy birthday to CHM on his 97th birthday. Bon anniversaire, mon vieux.

     


     

The town of Neufchâtel and its church suffered severe damage at least twice in history — in 1472 and in 1940.
Here's my loose translation of what the French Wikipédia article has to say about the history of Neufchâtel-en-Bray:

Under a different name, Neufchâtel was already a settlement in Roman times. Invading Francs started moving into the region when the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century. They intemingled and intermarried with the local population. The first church in Neufchâtel (which again had a new name) was built in the 9th century.

In the 11th century, in an effort to protect the northern border of the Duchy of Normandy, the duke Henry I Beauclerc, who was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and also king of England, built a new castle that gave its name, Neufchâtel ("Newcastle"), to the town that grew up around it. Two new churches were built: Notre-Dame in the 12th century (photos in this post) and Saint-Jacques in the 13th. The town was prosperous for a time.

The sizeable town of Neufchâtel was beseiged many times because of its strategic location. The forces of French king Louis VII took control of the town in the year 1167 and pillaged it. Seven years later, forces loyal to the count of Flanders took control and again pillaged Neufchâtel. In 1189, Count John I of Ponthieu in Picardy, the province bordering Normandy to the north, took control of Neufchâtel for a few years. Next it was taken over by the Anglo-Norman king known as John Lackland. A year later, after still another siege, the town (and all of Normandy) fell under the control of the French King Philippe-Auguste.

In the late 14th century, during the 100 Years' War, the English king Henry V took control of Neufchâtel, and in the mid-15th century the French king took it back. Just as the town was recovering from sieges and wars, in 1472 it was again under attack, this time by the Duke of Burgundy, who burned the old town to the ground. A century later, Neufchâtel also suffered much damage during the French Wars of Religion. In 1870, Prussian forces occupied it for a month. Then in 1940, the Germans bombed it into oblivion. It was rebuilt after the war.

27 comments:

  1. Congratulations to CHM on his birthday! Of course, I don't know him but I very often read his comments here and on other Blogs that I read.

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  2. Congratulations CHM....
    quite some acheeeevement!!
    Keep on Truckin'
    Continuez à rouler
    Continuez sur votre lancée

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  3. Surely the town shouldn't be named Neufchâtel.... but Nouvelléglise!!

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    1. The "château neuf" was torn down during Henri IV's reign in the late 16th century. By then the name had stuck.

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    2. Tim, there is a Neuvéglise-sur-Truyère in the Cantal département.

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    3. CHM, thank you..... that is rather lovely!

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  4. Merci mon vieux (je devrais dire mon jeune) pour tes bons vœux.

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  5. Thank you Potty and Tim for your good wishes. Yes, I keep Truckin’.
    As I said to my older brother, not long ago, “Je m’achemine lentement vers le trépas!” (un alexandrin). He died last October on his way to be 102 years old. He was a poet.

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  6. Happy, Happy Birthday CHM!
    🎉🥰🎉🥰🎉

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    1. And thank you for yesterday’s new word, for me. Une couche

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    2. Thank you, thank you, BettyAnn, for your good wishes; and you’re welcome, couche is a layer, but also a diaper or a bed!

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  7. Best wishes and congratulations from Downunder, CHM.

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  8. Happy Birthday, CHM! 97 is quite an achievement!

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    1. Thank you, Evelyn. I have nothing to do about it; it’s my heart. As long as it wants beating, it’s OK with me!

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  9. Happy Birthday, CHM! Always enjoy your comments and French perspectives. Wish we could email you some good French food!

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    1. Thank you Kiwi for your good wishes. I do enjoy your comments as well. Good French food would be really welcome!

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  10. Dearest chm, wishing you a very happy birthday! To us you seem much younger than the number. D & D

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    1. Thank you D&D for your good wishes. TBH, I don’t feel like almost a century old. If it weren’t for being stuck in bed. For a number of months, my world has been a horizontal one!

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  11. Joyeux anniversaire Monsieur CHM! No wonder I just had to buy a slice of Red Velvet cake today! Some 'little birdie' hadn't yet told me but I just knew I needed to celebrate today - who knew it was your 97th birthday
    - W O W!!!! You don't look a day older than 96!

    It is always a joy to read your comments and I greatly appreciate your responses to me. Merci and I wish you many more great years ahead.

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    1. Thank you, Mary, for hour nice word and good wishes.

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  12. You are a (inter)national treasure, CHM and not only because of your age. I want to be like you when I'm 97.

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    1. You know, Nina, age is a matter of mind; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. But still, ninety-seven is heavy. I wish you luck! Thank for your nice words.

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  13. Oh, I'm late to the party. Joyeux anniversaire, CHM. I hope you had a good celebration.Thank you for all you contribute to the discussion here and to our knowledge of things French.

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    1. Merci, Emm, de vos bons souhaits d’anniversaire and your kind words. Yes, all the nice people here at the nursing home wished me a happy birthday and I had friends visiting.

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