CITÉ RENAISSANCE DE MARVILLE

Perched on its rocky spur, Marville is not a Lorraine village of 500 souls like the others. Its beautiful Renaissance facades, its monumental Saint-Nicolas church and its astonishing Saint-Hilaire cemetery are appealing. But it is also by visiting the interior of the rich residences and their secular cellars that one can judge the activity of what was the second city of Luxembourg in the 16th century with more than 2500 inhabitants For nearly four centuries, from the 13th to the 17th century, Marville belonged to both the duchies of Bar and Luxembourg. In 1270, it became the capital of the "Terres Communes", a nebulous group of villages surrounding it. Thanks to this political particularity, it was able to enjoy a privileged status and became an island of peace and prosperity. The neutrality of the city encouraged nobles and religious congregations to settle there. Trade developed with 2 to 3 fairs per year. Lords and rich merchants built sumptuous mansions and erected steles of the same standing in the Saint-Hilaire cemetery for posterity. The Cistercian monks of Orval owned a house of refuge in Marville from the end of the 12th century. The one bought in 1518 still exists and can be visited Unfortunately, the events that have taken place since Marville became part of the French crown in the 17th century have led to the disuse and even the disappearance of part of this heritage. Indeed, Marville lost its neutrality at that time: it became less interesting to live there. However, the 18th century facades of the Grande Place benefited from the military architecture. The houses then passed from hand to hand, modernising and adapting the spaces they occupied according to their needs. Thanks to the impetus of associations and scientists for several decades to promote the place, and especially the commitment of the owners of remarkable houses and the municipality, in the restoration of public and private heritage in the rules of art, Marville is saved from oblivion. The beautiful Renaissance town in the north of the Meuse is gradually becoming a protected and timeless site, popular with lovers of the unusual and authentic.