11. Verdun to Étain

A Benedictine abbey founded in 973, it became an abbey of the canons regular of Prémontré in 1135. This congregation was founded in 1120 by a priest, Norbert de Kanten, on land donated by the Bishop of Laon in the forest of Saint-Gobain at the place called "Presmontré".
Saint-Paul de Verdun
When it was founded, the Benedictine abbey was under the name of Saint Paul, bishop of Verdun from 626 to 648. He replaced Ermenfroy, a monk from Luxeuil who died around 625, on the episcopal see. Paul came from the abbey of Tholey in the Saarland and was at the court of Dagobert, Éloi, Ouen, Didier de Cahors and the "pupils" of Luxeuil. In the life of Paul de Verdun we talk about the eremus Vogasus, is it the Saint-Mont in Remiremont or Luxeuil? His friend Arnoul, bishop of Metz, was a hermit at the Saint-Mont.
At that time the community of Luxeuil was a reference for monastic communities of men and women in Gaul.
At present the 17th century monastery buildings are occupied by the Sous-Pérfecture and the Tribunal.

The church is located on the Via Columbani leaving Verdun, in a district called "le Faubourg Pavé", this small church made of stone and wood was built, modestly, in 1884.
The church was heavily damaged during the war of 14-18, the missing half was rebuilt identically after the war.
Its interest lies in its stained glass windows financed by families of soldiers and officers, some of whom died in the church. A beautiful tribute that deserves a visit.

The hills of Verdun were bitterly disputed between the French and German armed forces. The slightest piece of land was taken and retaken with bombed villages, which became real skeletons of stone. The collective memory retains information with signposts and the location of villages whose vegetation replaces the houses. The Memorial is built on the disappeared commune of Fleury-devant-Douaumont and the postal address of the Memorial to keep the name of the village.
 The Memorial was created in 1967, under the aegis of the academician and veteran Maurice Genevoix, it is one of the main European museums of the Great War. For those who seek to feel, understand and transmit what Verdun was, the Memorial is a must.
In 2016, the building has just been given a new lease of life in order to better understand this war with adapted audiovisual and didactic means.
This memorial is an essential complement to a visit to the Verdun Citadel Museum.
Further information: Verdun Memorial website

The Douaumont Ossuary, built on the site of the village of Douaumont, is a monument to the memory of the soldiers of the Battle of Verdun in 1916, located on the border of the communes of Douaumont and Fleury-devant-Douaumont.
The ossuary was designed the day after the armistice of 1918 on the initiative of Mgr Charles Ginisty, Bishop of Verdun. Inaugurated on 7 August 1932 by the President of the Republic, it houses the remains of 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers.
Opposite the ossuary, the national necropolis of Douaumont contains 16,142 graves of French soldiers.
Going around the main Necropolis, you pass the Necropolis of the soldiers of the Muslim faith who died in the Field of Honour, then you pass the monument "The Soldier of the Right" erected in honour of the deputy André Thome who was killed there.

After the defeat of the war of 1870 and the loss of Alsace and part of Lorraine a defence plan for the new border was drawn up. General Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières had a set of fortifications built along this border with 4 strongholds : Verdun, Toul, Épinal and Belfort.
Part of this line of defence, the fort of Douaumont was built on a clear mound allowing artillery fire in all directions.
The fort was conquered by surprise 4 days after the beginning of the battle of Verdun, it will be occupied for 8 months by the German army, which will make it a shelter for its troops and an essential support point to continue its offensive. Despite several attempts at reconquest, it was not until October 24, 1916 that the fort was retaken.
More information: Wikipedia

During your march you encounter bollards reminiscent of a fiercely disputed location between French and German troops.

Dieppe-sous-Daumont is a martyr village of the First World War.
The Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul church, built and blessed in 1738, has a 12th century Romanesque style tower, remnant of a building from that time when Dieppe-sous-Douaumont was one of the oldest episcopal provostés of the Verdun bishopric. After the Revolution, the provost was attached to the district of Étain.
The village and its church were destroyed by the bombardment of February 1916 and the area was occupied by German troops until 1918.
In 1926 a new church was rebuilt to replace a simple wooden chapel with only one of the three original bells (the other two having been buried by the inhabitants to hide them from the Germans).

The first church in Étain dates from the 12th century, it probably replaced an older building.
The bombings of the First World War did not spare the town and its church.
During the reconstruction of the town special attention was paid to the town hall, built in 1787, and the church, making us forget the destruction of 1916.
For the church it is worth noting that the Gothic choir, spared from the bombardments, was restored preserving all the elegance of its construction in 1437 commissioned by Cardinal Huin, a native of the country. During the reconstruction of the nave the architects were faithful to the original architecture. The ensemble presents a harmony in the styles of different periods.
Inside you will admire the Pieta made by the famous Renaissance sculptor from Lorraine, Ligier Richier.
The church is closed.