8. Domrémy-la-Pucelle to Châtenois

The parish church of Saint-Rémy where Joan of Arc was baptized is located in the heart of the village, near her birthplace. The tower, attached to the building to the north, dates from the 13th century.
Listed as a Historic Monument since 1946, it preserves contemporary remains of Joan of Arc: baptismal fonts and sculptures.

Before arriving in Coussey you can see the roofs of a vast castle on the hill of the village of Frebécourt. It cannot be visited and only the view from the "Via Columbani" is available.
A first castle was built by the de Bourlémont family in the 12th century, but the present construction dates from the 13th century. It was probably on his return from the Holy Land that Joffroy de Bourlémont (ca. 1210 -1268), seneschal of Navarre of Count Thibaut IV, had the castle of his ancestors rebuilt.
The line was to end in 1412 with his last male descendant, Pierre de Bourlémont, the same year Joffroy was born. The name of his wife, Beatrice, was curiously mentioned in 1456 during the process of rehabilitating the saint. The noble lady and her bridesmaids used to walk under the "tree of the Fairies" in Domrémy, as Jeanne the shepherdess would later do. This detail, held against the Virgin in 1431 by the judges of Rouen, then compared in 1456 with the walks of Beatrice de Bourlémont, would make the latter immortal by clearing Jeanne of the curses previously attributed to the Fairy Tree.

In Coussey, after crossing the Meuse, you will discover the Romanesque church from the end of the 11th century, with a polygonal choir, one of the most beautiful examples of Romanesque art in the Vosges, and even in Lorraine. In particular, its bell tower, with two floors, highly decorated, is quite remarkable.

This imposing railway viaduct was built in 1884 for the Culmont Chalindrey-Toul line. 153 m long, it has 10 arches and a pedestrian walkway through the pillars of the arches to cross Le Vair.

Saint Élophe between legend and reality. 
St-Élophe gave his name to this village. The monk Rupert wrote the life of St. Elophe at the beginning of the 12th century. He was martyred on 16 October 362 on the banks of the river Vair, which flows at the foot of the village of Soulosse. After the chapel was destroyed in late antiquity, the Christians buried his body on the hilltop on the site of the present-day church, which has since borne his name. It became a famous place of pilgrimage from the 10th century onwards. 
In 1426, Marguerite de Lorraine, wife of Charles II of Lorraine, had the church of Saint-Elophe rebuilt as it stands today. The lower part of the church is Gothic, with a 12th-century Romanesque bell tower.
Further information: Tourisme Vosges

According to tradition, the chapel was built on the site of the martyrdom of Saint Elophe. Rebuilt at the end of the 15th century in honour of the martyred saint, this small chapel was apparently overthrown, along with the town of Soulosse, by the Huns and Vandals in the early years of the 5th century. The interior of the chapel is well worth a visit, with its Gothic cross vaults. The choir features a Gothic window with three-lobed lancets. The altarpiece of Saint Elophe (1614) depicts the judgement and beheading followed by the peregrination of the Saint with his head in his left arm.... Saint Elophe and, next to him, his sister Sainte-Libaire holding the palm of martyrdom.

The church in Rollainville, dedicated to Saint-Remy, dates from the 12th century. The east-facing choir and apse, and the bell tower date from the same period. They are listed as Historic Monuments. Take time to admire the sculptures on the bell tower and choir.
In the 19th century, the church was enlarged to extend the nave on the west side and add a west-facing choir. Today, Saint Rémy's church has two choirs, which is quite rare. Inside the church, you can admire the sculpted capitals and the 19th-century stained glass windows.

As you walk along, you'll come across the Abbey of Notre-Dame de l'Étanche (the ponds), which has suffered the ravages of time. An association called "Les Amis de l'abbaye Notre-Dame de l'Étanche" (Friends of Notre-Dame de l'Étanche Abbey) has undertaken major restoration work, partly funded by the Fondation du patrimoine and the Stéphane Bern Mission.
This Cistercian monastery was founded in 1138 by Albéron de Chiny, Bishop of Verdun, who in 1144 entrusted it to Philippe, Abbot of Belval-en-Argonne and member of the Prémontrés Order, who turned it into an abbey.
Sacked in 1632 (some say by evil Swedes, others say by a horde of bloodthirsty Croats), it was abandoned for five years. If we exclude this period, the abbey will have been occupied for 600 years. It was rebuilt between 1743 and 1770, then sold in 1791 and used as a farm, with the small church with its Baroque pediment serving as a barn. 
The chapel and convent building were listed as Historic Monuments by decree on 5 December 1984.
The whole complex is privately owned and not open to visitors.

The Romanesque priory church was demolished to make way for the present-day church of St. Peter (1843). It is represented on one of the stained glass windows recalling one of the most important facts of Châtenois' past, the foundation of the Benedictine Priory in 1069 by Edwige de Namur, wife of Gérard d'Alsace, the first Hereditary Duke of Lorraine. It was offered in 1926 by Monsieur le Comte d'Alsace, Prince d'Henin-Lietard.
Pierre-Dié-Malet, painter and sculptor in Nancy designed and drew this stained glass window.
The cross of the old cemetery of the 16th century is located in front of the church. Octagonal stepped truncated cone base. Barrel with Pietà and a 4-niche bossing with Saint Fiacre, Saint Blaise, Saint Stephen and Saint Barbe.