Bike Tour from Crécy-la-Chapelle to Coulommiers

[frenchmystiquetour]

Today's bike tour took me to Crécy-la-Chapelle, a pretty little artists village in the Brie region. Crécy is known as The Venice of the Brie region due to the canals that cut through the village and owing to its position on the Morin river. Crécy was a fortified village surrounded by stone walls and defensive towers beginning in the 9th and 10th centuries when the first fortress was built. Bits of the former defenses still exist scattered throughout the village, including a few of its 46 towers, portions of the wall and entry gates. In medieval times it was a stop along the trade route between Troyes and Champagne. Having a navigable water route on the Morin river made it a good spot for trade and commerce, thus attracting the merchants and religious orders which were the economic engines that powered the growth of any notable town or city of importance back in the day. Its position on the river favored the construction of canals which would attract mill based industries relying on water power, such as for the manufacture of leather, wool and linen. It was also a trading place for wine, timber and cattle. The low elevation of the river valley acted as a natural basin and various marshes and lakes in the region provided a source of fresh fish for the locals, who preferred the local species to the imports from further afield. On the slopes of the hills outside the village were grown wheat, barley and oats and numerous vineyards prospered.

Not a lot of fascinating events have occurred in Crécy so I'll skip the details about which ancient Count was overseer of Crécy and its domain and to what Duke the domain was ceded whereby sooner or later some royal or noble person gained its possession, the latter of whom eventually lost everything during the Revolution anyway. After the Revolution things began to fall apart for Crécy and the only remaining industries of note were related to timber and the tanneries on the canals. But it wouldn't be long before another industry sprang up in Crécy and gave new life to the village. The early 19th century saw the arrival in the countryside near Paris of numerous artists, abandoning their studios and the constraints of formal training to paint in open air, thanks to the invention of paint in tubes. The old rigid themes of classicism and their traditional subjects gave way to new scenes of countryside life depicting the lives of ordinary peasants and images of nature. Inspired by the Barbizon school of artists, which gave rise to the Realist art movement, numerous painters sought out rural locales to find their inspiration. Coincidental with the Realist art movement was the Romantic era of arts and literature and with the new found nostalgia for the past places with an abundance of natural beauty and perhaps some vestiges of medieval days gone by become popular haunts for artists. Crécy and its environs provided ample subject matter for such artists and soon a thriving artists community had established itself in the region. Though the popular and renowned artists most people are familiar with (Monet, Renoir, Cézanne etc.) weren't based here dozens of lesser known but similarly talented artists made the area their residence. I'm no art scholar and I must admit that most of the artists I learned about who resided in and near Crécy are not familiar to me but if you are an art enthusiast I have no doubt you'll find plenty to interest you in the Pays Créçois (countryside of the Crécy region). We'll learn about some of these artists later but for now let's start our visit of the village.

Approaching the town from the train station you'll instantly be reminded of the Crécy's ancient past when confronted with its old belfry.






The belfry was built on the foundation of one of the old towers at the end of the 19th century and houses a bell dated to 1624. Moving into the village it was apparent that I had arrived on market day.






But I hadn't come to Crécy in search of cheap household wares or non-designer label jeans. I was here to explore its quaint streets and to discover it famous canals and medieval remnants.








I'll always stop to pet a friendly kitty though.






Although the grand masters of the 19th century artists didn't reside in Crécy some of them were occasional visitors, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec who came to visit his good friend Henri-Gabriel Ibels (a noted poster artist) who is depicted below by Toulouse-Lautrec.






The streets of Crécy, properly devoid of inhabitants like most small country villages.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Below we see the Eglise Saint-Georges, built atop a medieval church (of which some remnants remain) and reconstructed from 1779-1781 by the Duc de Penthièvre, last legitimate grandson of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan.






Kitty.








Moving outside the confines of the village I arrived at the Morin river.






Here's one of the old mills for which the town is noted, called Le Moulin de Saint-Martin.




The mill is adjacent to a large field from where there are lovely views of the surrounding countryside.






I picked up a road by the mill heading back into town. Passing by the mill I noticed it was being used as a chambres d'hôtes.




It seemed to have several recommendations.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Throughout the village are numerous tableaus that detail the history of the town, its artists and scenes they depicted in their works. Here is one such sign in front of the mill.




Here is a tableau depicting one of the works of art.



Hmmm, that's a rather strange and suggestive position for canoeing.







Nearing the bridge crossing the river back into town I arrived at the old harbor where wood and grain were loaded for shipping into Paris. It was also the site of another of the tableaus which depicted the works of various artists who had painted the scene from where the tableau was located.




Here are two of the paintings by one of the artists depicted on the tableau shown above. These two paintings are by Emily Carr, a Canadian artist who came to Crécy in 1911 and studied the ''New Art'' under the English teacher Harry Gibbs, who was a good friend of Henri Matisse and Georges Braque. Her work was influenced by Post-Impressionism and Fauvism, the latter tradition of which rejects earlier artistic movements and abandons the illusion of perspective, maintaining that color only should represent space and that the painter's emotions should be integrated with the pictorial elements.






Crossing the river back into town.




And arriving at the home of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, who resided in this house in 1873. Corot was one of the leading painters of The Barbizon School and a pivotal figure in the evolution of landscape painting. Many famous artists called themselves his pupils, including Camille Pissarro, and he inspired many other artists, among them Monet, Dégas and Picasso.






Here's an old 12th century passage leading into the village called the Chemin de Ronde.






Entering the passage led me down a narrow, winding alley.



Where I saw one of the old defensive towers.

[frenchmystiquetour]

I crossed a little footbridge over a canal where I arrived at the location of the old tanneries, where there was of course another tableau.






Here's another tower, called Tour aux Saints, now occupied by a local subaquatic archaeological organization.




Someone left the gate to their courtyard open so I guess they wanted me to take a picture.








Moving outside of the village and about 1 mile away there is a wonderful collegial church, dating from the 12th to 15th centuries.






I've finished my visit of Crécy and with small exception I've neglected to name and tell you about the dozens of other artists who inhabited the village and spread throughout the region in general. Well, sorry about that. You'll get over it. I've got some biking to do so I'm picking up the road heading out of Crécy and into the valley of the Morin river.

[frenchmystiquetour]

After that nice little stretch of countryside I entered a tiny village called Tigeaux. For more than 200 years Tigeaux was in important port on the Morin river, after navigational works were ordered by Henri IV. It benefited from being the highest navigable point in the valley for boats carrying heavy loads. The rate of its water flow attracted numerous mill related activities and the village was known for its production of linen, pharmaceuticals and wheat. It was also a major point of departure for trains of logs harvested in the area and destined for Paris to supply carpenters and provide fuel for heating.

About halfway through the village I saw a sign for the Moulin de Tigeaux (Mill of Tigeaux).




There had been a mill on this site since the 15th century but it was entirely reconstructed in 1850. The gate was open so I walked into the grounds to have a look. It was a lovely old mill with a nice little park next to the river.












Here's the bustling and totally happenin' main street of Tigeaux.






Time for a little local legendry. The local church in Tigeaux takes its name from Saint Leu. Leu is an old French derivation of the word Loup, meaning wolf (which will become important in a minute). Saint Leu was born in Orléans in 573 and died in Sens in 623. He was raised to the position of Bishop of Sens in 609, the most important bishopric in Gaul at the time. He traveled the countryside tirelessly preaching charity and morality. At the time you had to have had some sort of curative superpowers to be made a saint and Saint Leu could apparently cure convulsions and fear (I didn't even know there was a cure for fear). But this particular power must have been useful since until the end of the 19th century the locals were instilled with a great fear of wolves. I suppose if cured of your fear this kept you calm while the wolves ripped out your intestines. There is a well in town, ordained by Saint Leu in the 7th century, whose waters have the power to cure maladies of the eyes and fear. I was afraid to look at it so I have no pictures. But I had no such fear of photographing the countryside.








The next village I entered was Dammartin-sur-Tigeaux and here's its church, l'Eglise de Saint-Martin, which was erected in the 11th century and modified until the 15th century with restoration works undertaken in the 20th century.

[frenchmystiquetour]

I could tell you about all the architectural details in the church relevant to their periods of construction but I'll instead give you a lesson in general church construction and financing. You'll notice how the front of the church is lower in height and less ornate than the rear of the church, which features high arches and ribbed vaulting. In between the two sections you'll notice the bell tower. This was a common feature of many churches of the time and owes to the fact that the front portion of the church was constructed at the expense of the parishoners while the fancier parts in the rear were paid for by the clergy. The central position of the bell tower is indicative of the fact that its cost was split between the parishoners and the clergy. Bet you didn't know that, did you? Next we'll see one of the two or three streets in Dammartin, which is currently under repair. The local construction crew saw me getting my camera out to take pictures so they politely stepped aside and moved their heavy equipment out of the scene so as to make their handiwork appear more beautiful.












The next village I entered was Guérard.



Since the internet had nothing to tell me about Guérard neither do I have anything to tell you.






Here's another one of the many mills found along the Morin river. This one must have been private since it was enclosed by a gate so I couldn't go in and explore the grounds.



But the village was open for exploring and what a pretty little village it was.

[frenchmystiquetour]

I was having good luck finding quaint villages in this area and the next village, La Celle en Bas, was no exception. It was even a designated a two flower ville fleuri.


















I crossed a bridge and arrived at a little island in the center of the Morin river known as Île Sainte-Anne. The island was the site of an old monastery which traced its origins to Saint Blandin, who lived in the 5th century. Here's some more local legendry. As a child, in the presence of the local priest, Saint Blandin held a conversation with his mother who was 5 leagues away.......by holding a wooden clog (shoe) to his ear. (I wonder if he could roll over his unused minutes every month). Apparently he was responsible for many other miracles but talking into a wooden shoe is a tough act to follow. He was offered the island as a residence and lived in a hut as a hermit. Upon his death the site became a place of pilgrimage. In 615 the count of Meaux founded an abbey here. Over time further buildings were added, including a church and cloister in the 13th century.

Île Sainte-Anne owes its name to the wife of the lord of Malmaison. She wished to be buried here next to her son, who died in 1326. Her husband opposed this wish but the oxen hauling the cart which carried her body headed towards the island, despite the efforts of the bullock driver leading the oxen. Everything was demolished during the revolution and just a few minor remnants remain.






Continuing on my journey the next village I arrived at was Faremoutiers.




I made an oversight in Faremoutiers and neglected to visit the Abbaye de Farremoutiers so I'm not going to have any photos of that. Nonetheless I'll tell you what little I know about Faremoutiers. The name of the town derives from Sainte Fare, who was the daughter of a high noble The Count of Meaux. Her father gave her land on which to found an abbey in the 7th century and as abbess she established the Rule of Saint Columbanus, which was very strict. Word of her sanctity spread throughout France and eventually reached England, where many princesses asked to be under her direction. Miracles and marvels were common at the abbey as were physical and spiritual cures. When the good nuns of the convent died their souls were carried to heaven by angels singing in chorus, which were heard by all the nuns and echoed throughout the convent walls. But apparently there were some bad nuns too. At the death beds of these nuns their companions watched in horror as shifting shadows surrounded them and in coarse voices called them by their name. These bad nuns could not be buried in consecrated grounds and were instead buried in nearby fields, where during the seasons of Christmas and Easter flames would appear over their graves.

The abbey remained important through the centuries and always retained women of high noble status as the abbesses. It fell into ruin after the Revolution and although I didn't see it apparently that is what you will see now. The abbey sounded like a really fun place, what with all the angels and demons flying around and flames shooting up over the graves of naughty nuns so I'm kinda bummed I missed it. Oh well, next time. Here's a quick look around town.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Then back out into the countryside.








My destination for the day was the town of Coulommiers and I was not far off at this point. The rest of the ride was a mix of countryside and villages.

[frenchmystiquetour]

And at last I arrived in Coulommiers.




Coulommiers is the principal town of the region and as such is larger and more lively with more attractions. It has a low town and upper town. The low town is cut up by a few canals branching off of the Morin river and is where the old town and most sites and attractions are to be found. It's a charming little place. The upper town is the new part of town and is a rather bland looking residential area with lots of plain looking housing developments. There would be no reason to visit the new town if it was not the place of the towns most famous attraction, The Commanderie of the Knights Templar, which is a worth the trip through the new town.

Prehistoric habitation and then Gallo-Roman habitation were the beginnings of the village. Between the 11th and 12th centuries the Counts of Champagne established themselves in the village and with their arrival came economic benefits. Tanners and millers established themselves along the river banks, a priory was built and the Templars arrived and set-up shop. The town suffered throughout The Hundred Years War with the English. Affected not only by the ravages of war but also famine, heavy rains and freezing winters the town emerged from years of war in near ruin. The leather industry collapsed and the mills were all destroyed or heavily damaged. At one point in the war on August 7th 1429 Joan of Arc and Charles VII made a stop here on their return from the latters coronation in Reims, since Coulommiers had remained faithful to the king. In 1430 the English recaptured the village and in vengeance for the towns faithfulness to Charles they cut off the ears of certain inhabitants. This act is remembered in the form of a street name, called rue des Coupes Oreilles (Street of the Cut Off Ears). Barely recovered in the 15th century the 16th century Wars of religion saw the return of trouble. Order was finally established again under Henri IV.

Coulommiers still retains many bits of its past and 5 of its sites are listed on the register of Historic Monuments. We'll visit a few of these but first we'll see a bit of the old town.












After a bit of exploring the old town I pedaled uphill through the new town and arrived at The Commanderie.




The Commanderie at Coulommiers was founded in 1173 and is the most complete example of a Templar compound in the north of France. The present buildings arrange themselves around a large rectangular courtyard and are comprised of the tithe barn, chapter house, stables, cellars, the colombier (pigeon coop), the logis (lodge) and the chapel. Adjacent to the compound is the medieval style park/garden, with 250 species of trees, plants and flowers. Its layout is inspired by monastic gardens and a chief work of medieval courtly litterature, the Romance of the Rose.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Finishing up with the Commanderie I headed back downhill into the old town to see what else I'd find.












The old town is really nice and there are several buildings of some historic note which I have not covered here. The tourist office has good information and I picked up some brochures that provided info about 15 or so worthy attractions to visit accompanied by a detailed map of the village. I rode by them and learned a bit about them but I was more interested in just enjoying the ambiance rather than photographing. I did, however, take pictures at the last site I visited in Coulommiers which is certainly its most beautiful attraction. Le Parc des Capucins is reputed to be one of the most beautiful parks in the Île-de-France region. It was the residence of the Duchess of Longueville, Princesse de Clèves, who had a château constructed here by François Mansart. Only its ruins remain but they provide an atmospheric backdrop to this lovely garden. At the park entrance are a few beautiful buildings.
















The above photo shows the chapel Notre Dame des Anges, built at the same time as the château. It houses the municipal museum but it was closed at the hour of my late arrival. The lower level of the chapel houses the La Grotte aux Coquillages, a vaulted room that is richly decorated with sculptures, ornate niches and details in high relief. I'll certainly visit this and other sites on my next visit to Coulommiers.








And so came the end of my visit to Coulommiers and the conclusion of a great day of bike touring in the French countryside. I think I had a pretty successful day of exploration considering I had no real plan at the start of the day other than to see what I'd find along the way. Hope you all enjoyed the ride.

[fumobici]

Bravo, another Île-de-France tour de force. I have a particular affinity for Crécy. The photos make me want to take an easel there, stretch and gesso up some canvasses and spend... well maybe the next ten years painting the locale. Encore, je vous remercie.

[mich64]

Beautiful canals, stately homes and exceptional foliage photos FMT. This must have been a wonderful day. You are very lucky.
Cheers!
Mich

[Deleted]

Another lovely depopulated day! Who would ever believe that 60 million people live in France?

On the A4 autoroute, there is a big viaduct to cross a valley without touching it and the information sign says "Le Grand Morin." I am sorry to say that's as close as I have ever seen the area.

[patricklondon]

What a coincidence. In my big retirement project to digitise my photos, I've just finished scanning some negatives I took mumblety-odd years ago as a moody teenager on my first exchange visit to France, which included a stay in that area. One of the photos is of that double-arched structure in the park.

But, memory being what it is, I'm not sure now if we actually stayed in Coulommiers or La Ferté-sous-Jouarre. I do remember being taken to Ermenonville and La Mer du Sable, but not Crécy, which seems a pity - but then, one thing memory does retain is that it was the site of an important English victory in the Hundred Years' War, and that might have had something to with it.

And don't forget potage Crécy.

[bjd]

Did you buy any Coulommiers cheese, FMT?

[frenchmystiquetour]

fumo - If you moved there with your easel you'd never run out of subject matter.

mich - A wonderful day indeed.

kerouac - I'll be doing another report about heading in the direction opposite from Crécy and I'll go right under the A4 so you can see what it looks like underneath the viaduct.

Patrick - Well then you and I are among the handful of foreign tourists who have ever visited Coulommiers. After what the English did there during the Hundred Years' War I'm surprised you made it out of there with your ears still attached. I've also been to La-Ferté-sous-Jouarre, which is a nice little village. Didn't sample the potage Crécy on this visit so I'll have to try it next time.

bjd - Yes, I neglected to mention the two kinds of cheese for which Coulommiers is noted. Oversights like this are common when one isn't a certified "foodie".

[nycgirl]

Lovely photos. I really enjoyed living vicariously through them. I like how you included information about art movements, too.

By the way, that cheese looks mouth-watering!