プレ周辺のおすすめ交通量の少ないサイクリングルート

Superb village

Thiérache, a land of historical passage, is adorned with fortified churches, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century.

The medieval west facade of the église Notre-dame was reinforced in the 17th century with a heavy rectangular keep with machicolations, battlements, skylights and loopholes. A bas-relief in tête-bêche (honor print) at the entrance depicts Good and Evil. The octagonal tower at the chancel has a staircase to an attic above the chancel.

The 17th century Saint-Rémy church is one of the fortified churches of Thiérache. The exterior has this robust appearance that is typical of fortified churches. A fortified square tower is located in the left corner of the nave. It is pierced with cannon and loopholes. The villagers could flee upstairs via a spiral staircase in case of danger. The tower is connected to a raised attic. A well and a bread oven completed the reception system. The tower was accessed via a staircase partly in the nave, partly in the partial round tower attached to it. Powerful buttresses strengthen the structure.

This church is built in yellow Ardennes stone. It has a portico tower, square at the entrance, and two cylindrical towers at the corners of the chancel. The 16th century church underwent several renovations to strengthen it, changing its architectural plan. The oldest part is located in the center. On the west a rectangular portico tower was added, and on the east, the other end, a kind of broad keep was connected to the body of the church, with a roof overhanging the roof of the central body, and round towers, of which there are two remain. Of these battlemented towers, one has embrasures.

Doumely Castle, with its four defense towers, is an old fortified house from the 16th century. It is today classified as a historic monument.

The phenomenon of fortified churches and farms is typical of the Thiérache region. In the 16th century, the churches took over the role of protecting the population against the conquests of the French and the actions from Flanders. With cattle and all, people were sometimes locked up for weeks.

The Sint-Niklaaskerk is a very beautiful model of a fortified church on a spacious square with a music kiosk. The exterior is warlike in appearance, with a large square portico tower, dotted with embrasures, above the western portal, brick watchtowers at the corners of this tower, and other watchtowers on the arms of the transept. The walls of the tower are 3 m thick at the base and are made of quartz slate. The choir is equipped with a gatehouse that further reinforces the defensive vocabulary of this construction. The church was built at the end of the 17th century. After the previous one was burnt down by the Spaniards in 1636.