Pompierre () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...

department,

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administra ...

, Northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

The village lies on the border with the adjacent

Haute-Marne Haute-Marne (; English: Upper Marne) is a department in the Grand Est region of Northeastern France. Named after the river Marne, its prefecture is Chaumont. In 2019, it had a population of 172,512.Neufchâteau and across country from

Robécourt Robécourt () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. See also *Communes of the Vosges department The following is a list of the 507 communes of the Vosges department of France. The communes cooperate in th ...

which is the nearest access point for the A31, Lorraine's principal south-north highway. Pompierre (formerly ''Pont de Pierre'') is traversed by the Mouzon River which is here crossed by the bridge from which it takes its name.

History

Situated on the line of a Roman road, the village gets its first mention in connection with a conflict between two grandsons of Clovis (himself often seen in France as the first French king). In 577 Saint Gontran, king of Burgundy clashed with Childebert, the king of

Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks. Neustria included the land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, approximately the north of present-day France, with Paris, Orléans, Tours, Soissons as its main cities. It late ...

at 'Pont de Pierre'. The event was commemorated with the construction of a chapel. The chapel was replaced in the twelfth century with a church which contains sculptures that recall the encounter between the two kings. In 1741 Jean-Baptiste de Lavaulx, lord of Pompierre, Sartes, Courcelles and Dolaincourt ordered the construction of a castle which can still be seen today.