The best traffic-free bike rides around Flaignes-Havys

Superb village

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.

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.

A superb 15th century hall, in hall and cob, classified as historical monuments. It is characteristic of the region but its side encumbered in the village and its slightly elevated position, at the foot of the long descent of the main street, gives it a little additional charm.

This church is named after Remigius von Reims (* probably 436 in Laon; † January 13 or 15, 533 in Reims) was a bishop from the Gallo-Roman nobility in the east of what is now France. He became known through the baptism of the Merovingian king Clovis I and is venerated as one of the great saints of the Frankish people. Remigius came from a wealthy family. He was called to be a bishop at the age of 22. After the conquest of his home region by Franks invading from the east, he successfully endeavored to integrate the new rulers into the late Roman tradition, both socially and religiously. In particular, he made it his task to Christianize the Franks for the Roman Church and to move them to turn away from Arianism, to which they partly adhered. He is therefore also referred to as the "Apostle of the Franks". He is also considered the founder of several dioceses in France. Together with Queen Chlothilde, the wife of Clovis, Remigius is seen as a pioneer of Christianity in Europe. At Christmas just before the year 500 - there are sources that mention 497, 498 or 499 - he is said to have baptized Clovis and 3,000 more francs. While the bishop was performing this act, he said to the king: “Now bow down your head, proud Sicamber, and submit it to the gentle yoke of Christ! Worship what you have burned so far and burn what you have worshiped so far! " Source: Wikipedia