Abbaye Notre Dame d'Ourscamp

Of this 12th century abbey, only the ruins remain, stretching towards the sky. Breathtakingly beautiful, the site takes the visitor on a long historical journey. Built in the 12th century, the abbey was built on a foundation stone laid in 641 by the future Saint-Eloi, adviser to King Dagobert. It is even said that he had tamed a bear, which was very useful for heavy work: hence the name Ourscamp ("field of the bear")... Myth or reality? This bear is now a fard and dominates the domain from the top of the abbey where it was represented! Centuries and wars have shaped the place, looted during the Hundred Years War, partly rebuilt at the end of the 16th century, sold after the French Revolution, transformed into a hospital, a cotton factory (one of the most beautiful in France), then occupied by the Germans during the First World War. Bombed in 1915 by the French, the abbey is in ruins, it will come back to life only in 1941, thanks to the arrival of religious who are still there.