Varennes, Somme

French commune
name=Varrenes-en-Croix


x = 139
y = 36
region=
departement=
arrondissement=Amiens
canton= Acheux-en-Amiénois
insee=80776
cp=80560
maire=M. Jackie Pillon
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté de communes du Pays du Coquelicot
alt moy=147 m
alt mini=83 m
alt maxi=156 m
hectares=724
km²=7,24
sans=177
date-sans=1999
dens=24
date-dens=1999

Varennes-en-Croix is a commune in the Somme "département" in the Picardie region of France.

Geography

Situated some 15 miles northeast of Amiens, at the junction of the D47, D447 and D179, in the form of a cross.

History

Middle Ages

The settlement of Franc-Mailly was located at the site of the present-day cemetery of Varennes, where the seigneurs made their home, with a farm and a mill. Wishing to promote the culture of their region, land was granted to the people to build homes, free from any kind of duties and taxes. Over time the village of Franc-Mailly became a popular haunt for criminals. According to tradition, in 1069 the four corners of the village of Franc-Mailly were burnt down on the orders of the Seigneur. The remaining core of the village, grouped around the manor house, became Varennes. [A. de CARDEVAQUE relate les débuts de Franc-Mailly et de Varennes dans Varennes et l’abbaye de Clairfay, "in" La Picardie, 1879, Archives Départementales de la Somme, 16REV22. Cependant il est le seul à mentionner ces événements.]

Charles the Bold

In 1472, Charles the Bold invaded Picardy in retaliation against Louis XI who had refused to ratify the treaty on October 3, 1471 in which Charles claimed possession of Amiens, Saint-Quentin and the Vimeu. Many villages were burnt down, including that of Varennes, which was rebuilt with its streets in the shape of a cross". [A. de CARDEVAQUE, Varennes et l’abbaye de Clairfay, "in" La Picardie, 1879, Archives Départementales de la Somme, 16REV22.]

The Thirty Years' War and the tunnels of Varennes

During the Thirty Years War, Varennes suffered looting and destruction by Spanish troops, as testified by a verbatim record of 1636, in which it says that the village was burned down in September 1635 [A. BOUTHORS, Les cryptes de Picardie, 1838, pièces justificatives p. 166-167, Archives Départementales de la Somme, 3REV1. ]
In order to protect themselves from armed troops, the inhabitants of Varennes dug a large tunnel. The underpass beneath the town square and the church is made up of a gallery 39m long with 29 rooms, all of which were fitted with wooden doors. Eight of the rooms had wells for fresh water.
In the most recent excavations in 1970, various inscriptions were noted on the walls: "1636 Adrien Lefebvre"; “1660 Guillomin Ringard”; “Antonin Goubet in the year 1677"; they also found a coin dated 1656.
Having served as an underground refuge for the population, the tunnels were probably used as a workplace in the winter. They were eventually closed because of the danger of collapse [ J-P. FOURDRIN, Les souterrains de Varennes, 1972, "in" Revue de la société des Antiquaires, Archives Départementales de la Somme, 2REV54.] .

War of 1870

In September,1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, Varennes was occupied by the Germans for three or four days, the village was subjected to theft, damage to housing and they had to feed the enemy troops and horses. The village was also forced to pay war reparations to the tune of 4122 Francs.

First World War

In 1916, the front line between the French and German forces was located about 7km from Varennes. Many underpasses were constructed and occupied in the surrounding villages, the tunnels of Varennes was occupied until Easter 1918 by British troops. In the tunnels, there’s an inscription “J. Connoly, Smith, Baker Sgt, 1918”. [J-P. FOURDRIN, Les souterrains de Varennes, 1972, "in" Revue de la société des Antiquaires, Archives Départementales de la Somme, 2REV54.]

Places of interest

* The church, rebuilt in 1771 with materials taken from the château of Hyerville, which had been destroyed after the death of Catherine de Rinchevalle. The church has a single nave. In 1803 the tower of 1771 was rebuilt.

Population

See also

* Communes of the Somme department

Notes

*"This article is based on the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia, consulted on April 5th 2008."

External links

* [http://www.recensement.insee.fr/RP99/rp99/co_navigation.co_page?nivgeo=C&codgeo=80776&theme=ALL&typeprod=ALL&lang=FR&quelcas=LISTE Varennes on the Insee website] fr
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=detail&id=32097&req=Varennes Varennes on the Quid website] fr