The best road cycling routes around Maucourt

Beautiful cycle path. Clean and wide, but above all we are safe.

Calvin's birthplace is dedicated to the famous reformer born here in 1509. Rebuilt after its destruction during the First World War, it now houses a museum retracing the life and work of John Calvin, as well as the religious and humanist history of his time. It houses a rich collection of portraits, ancient works, documents, and 16th-century furniture.

The sight of military cemeteries is always very sad, but we must not forget history.

The reconstruction of Notre-Dame, consecrated in 1928, was designed by Swiss architect Albert Montant—who also designed the church of Canny-sur-Matz. Albert Montant was an excellent connoisseur of medieval architecture, and the building, constructed of brick with some stone elements, contains numerous references to Romanesque architecture, revisited here with great originality and sensitivity. The plan features a bell tower porch, a single nave, and a choir with side aisles, culminating in an apse framed by two apsidioles. Each section has its own distinctive features. The bell tower porch—which echoes that of the previous church—opens with a semicircular arched portal with three arches resting, on each side, on as many small columns via cubic capitals. Three small, offset windows open above, and a gable crowns the whole. Instead of the traditional gallery, the bell tower porch forms, inside, a richly lit lantern crowned by a four-sided dominion vault. Of Carolingian origin, the lantern tower enjoyed great popularity in Anglo-Norman architecture and beyond, as evidenced by the one at Laon Cathedral. The nave has three bays with semicircular barrel vaults. Its two transverse arches are supported by abacuses surmounting consoles, a device intended to house statues, now missing. The choir is covered with a barrel vault that closes in a cul-de-four at the apse. Eleven small semicircular windows penetrate this vault, the base of which is highlighted by a continuous cordon of billets. Three semicircular arches resting on circular piers provide access to the side aisles, each covered with a semicircular barrel vault. This entire ensemble clearly draws its inspiration from the Romanesque architecture of Berry and Auvergne. In the nave, we notice six stained-glass windows by Blanchet-Lesage (1959) on the themes of Faith, Charity, Hope, Prudence, Justice, and Strength (2008).

Rethondes is associated with the armistice of 1918. On Sunday 10 November, Foch and Weygand attended mass in the small church. Outside hangs a commemorative plaque. Inside, the portraits of the two commanders are included in the stained glass window of the apse.

Nice wide cycle path, what a luxury!

We used the abbey park for our breakfast. A wonderful place for a break. 🫖🥖

Ourscamp Abbey is located a few kilometers from Noyon, in the upper Oise Valley. Founded in 1129, it is the second-oldest Cistercian abbey in Picardy. It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Its longevity and conflicts have contributed to the abbey's transformations: from religious building to hospital and manufactory; over the centuries, it has served various purposes. Admire the ruins of the abbey church's Gothic choir, a magnificent stone structure. The nave, of which nothing remains, had nine sides, now symbolized by pine trees. Finally, the 13th-century sickbay, also known as the mortuary, is also worth a visit. Anecdotally: the abbey's name dates back to the 7th century. In 641, King Dagobert's advisor began construction, and according to the story, he used a bear to transport the heaviest materials...