Longpré-les-Corps-Saints
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Longpré-les-Corps-Saints () is a commune in
Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...
department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in
Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; pcd, Heuts-d'Franche; , also ''Upper France'') is the northernmost Regions of France, region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its Prefectu ...
in northern France.


Geography

Situated on the D3 and D216 junction and on the banks of the river
Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...
, surrounded by peat fen, some southeast of Abbeville. Longpré-les-Corps-Saints station, on the railway from Paris to Boulogne-sur-Mer, has rail connections to Amiens and Abbeville. An earlier local railway, once carried freight and some passengers. It opened in 1872 and closed in 1993.


Population


History

Les Corps Saints is named after the thousands of supposedly holy relics (the bones of saints, pieces of the ‘true cross’ etc.) brought back by Crusaders from the
Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
. The region was quite wealthy, thanks to the exploitation of the peat, found here in abundance. A collegial church was established here, and by the 13th century had attracted the attention of Popes, notably Innocent III and Gregory IX who granted it their protection. It was called at that time "Longpré -''les-Corps-Saints''". The relics would be promenaded through the streets, a practise which still goes on nowadays. Longpré was burnt down twice by the English during the
Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
, the first time just before the Battle of Crécy, the second time before the
Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numerica ...
.
Pope Eugene IV had the badly damaged church rebuilt in 1437.Document conservé aux Archives Départementales During the Wars of Religion, to avoid the Huguenots, the inhabitants of Longpré ran way. The clergy of the collegial church, the canons, took refuge at Saint-Vulfran’s abbey in Abbeville. Afterward, the collegial chapter was restored, but it was never as great as in its earlier days. By the time of the French Revolution, there were only 10 canons. On 28 December 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, the Germans fought and killed 8 and wounded 15 combatants and civilians. 60 French prisoners were taken From 28 May to 6 June 1940, French troops were engaged in defending the town against the panzers of General Rommel. The town was reduced to rubble. 90% of the town was destroyed and the spire of the church collapsed.


Places of interest

* The church * The 1870 war memorial, listing 5 dead * The 1914-1918 war memorial, listing 42 French dead. * The British war cemetery 1914-1918 contains the remains of 78 British & Commonwealth troops and one French soldier. * Memorial to the
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
, June 1940


See also

*
Communes of the Somme department The following is a list of the 772 communes of the Somme department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Eric Bailly’s history of the village

Postcards from between the two world wars.

Photos by Eric Bailly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longprelescorpssaints Communes of Somme (department)