Our Blog - Summer 2024 Trip - Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, France

The town of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is on the estuary of the Somme river and is 1 of 3 ports on the Somme Bay. The town is one of the most visited towns in the region, with imposing medieval towers standing on either side of a stone gateway into the town. Joan of Arc passed through town in 1430 and Napoleon 1st came through here twice to inspect work on a canal.

The Porte de Nevers, or Nevers Gate, is the lower gate into town. It was built in the 16th century in sandstone, flint, and brick. It replaced an older gate whose bases are still visible at the bottom. Above the entrance arch is the sculpted coat of arms of the Duke of Gonzague-Nevers, surmounted by the town motto "fides", in memory of the participation of the municipal militia in the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. Originally called the "Porte Bas" or Lower Gate, it was renamed Porte de Nevers in honor of Louis IV de Gonzague-Nevers, Duke of Nevers who fought the League and the Spanish in Picardy at the start of the reign of Henri IV. It is a brick and stone building, elevated, topped with a gable roof covered with slate.

Right before heading into town, we took a peek at the tall ramparts. You can make out some old narrow slits (3 of them) for defending the town with arrows, and then a few square things which may have been when the walls were revamped to allow small cannons when arrows became less-than-useful.

Just inside the Nevers Gate is the Eglise Saint-Martin. It has an unusual design constructed in part from alternating white and black rocks to create a patterned effect, characteristic of buildings on the Picardy coast. While a church has been in town since the 12th century, the construction of the current church dates back to the 13th century. It was destroyed by a fire in 1475 and was rebuilt and consecrated at the end of the 15th century, although work continued until 1559.

The interior design is also unique, as it has 2 large naves of equal size, separated by a row of 7 Gothic archways.

The chapels were built between 1500 and 1581. The altarpiece in the chapel on the right-hand side has a painting representing the Descent from the Cross. The altarpiece to the left has an interesting bas-relief with the Virgin and child.

There is also a large wooden statue of the Virgin and Child.

I think this is a statue of Saint Paul, with the long beard, sword (the instrument of his martyrdom), and a book.

The stained-glass dates from the 19th century.

The Sailors' Chapel, also known as the Chapel of Saint Peter, contains several 17th century ship models. It is the oldest part of the church, built during the reign of King Louis XII.

The baptismal font chapel, dating from 1581 is dedicated to Saint Agnes. The wooden cover of the baptismal font has a 16th century cross.

We made our way to the other end of town and the Porte Guillaume. It is one of the oldest vestiges of the city, with the towers existing during the forced stopover of the fleet of William the Conqueror in 1066 setting out to conquer England, which is where the name comes from. From the inside of town (first picture), it doesn't look like much but from the outside (2nd picture), you can see the 2 massive round towers, with consoles and machicolations and underground passages between the two. It is sometimes called Porte Jeanne d'Arc because she passed through this door in December 1430 before going to Rouen to be judged.

There was a little rose garden next to the gate with a unique type of rose called the Rose Alfred Manessier. Alfred Manessier was a non-figurative French painter, stained glass artist, and tapestry designer, who was born nearby in 1911.

A couple of houses in town ... the first has the same black/brick design that the church has, and other house supposedly has been owned by the same family since 1620.

From up at the old town, there was a nice view of the bay.