Valmont, Seine-Maritime
Encyclopedia
Valmont is a commune
in the Seine-Maritime
department in the Haute-Normandie
region in northern France
.
, situated some 32 miles (51.5 km) northeast of Le Havre
, at the junction of the D10, D17, D28 and D69 roads. The village is surrounded by woodland
. Just outside of the village, at ‘’Le Vivier’’, is the source of the Valmont River
.
In 1169, the abbey
of Notre-Dame-du-Pre was founded here by Nicolas of Estouteville. It was devastated during the Hundred Years War but was repaired and became a nunnery.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
department in the Haute-Normandie
Haute-Normandie
Upper Normandy is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions...
region in northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
A farming village in the Pays de CauxPays de Caux
The Pays de Caux is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French département of Seine Maritime in Haute-Normandie. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs on the English Channel coast - its coastline is known as the Côte d'Albâtre...
, situated some 32 miles (51.5 km) northeast of Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, at the junction of the D10, D17, D28 and D69 roads. The village is surrounded by woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
. Just outside of the village, at ‘’Le Vivier’’, is the source of the Valmont River
Valmont River
The river Valmont is one of the small rivers that flow from the plateau of the Pays de Caux into the English Channel.The river rises at an altitude of 56m at the commune of Valmont at a place called le Vivier...
.
History
The commune was created in 1822 and 1825 by the merger of four former parishes of Valmont, Saint-Ouen-au-Bosc, Rouxmesnil and Le Bec-au-Cauchois.In 1169, the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Notre-Dame-du-Pre was founded here by Nicolas of Estouteville. It was devastated during the Hundred Years War but was repaired and became a nunnery.
Population
Places of interest
- The ruins of Notre-Dame abbey, dating from the twelfth century.
- The church of St. Nicolas.
- The chateau of Estouteville, dating from the eleventh century with a donjon and a large public park.
People
- The naturalist Georges CuvierGeorges CuvierGeorges Chrétien Léopold Dagobert Cuvier or Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric Cuvier , known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist...
was a tutor and secretary from 1791 to 1794 at Fiquainville chateau. - Eugène DelacroixEugène DelacroixFerdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
, artist, spent some time at Valmont. Here he painted the Ruines de l'abbaye de Valmont, which nowadays hangs in the LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
.