Land of Gaum

The village of Sainte-Cécile sits as if riding on the border between the actual Ardennes and the softer Land of Gaum. Measured along the N83, the village is located about 7 km northwest of the larger Florenville. The quiet residential core of Sainte-Cécile features a building style that reflects both Gaume and Ardennes. Its early beginnings are said to have been a nunnery, of course dedicated to Saint Cecilia, the patroness of musicians. But in 1380, that monastery went up in flames during a battle between the lords of Chassepierre and the troops of the Liège prince-bishop. The village was also partially destroyed during the French Revolution. On Christmas Day 1793, the French revolutionaries sent scouts to the village, but the inhabitants fired away from behind a hedge. A French officer was killed, to the great fury of the French, but the residents fled into the woods, where they hid for a year. In the meantime, Sainte-Cécile was partially burned to the ground. Tales of war and destruction: constants in the life of a village. Previously, Sainte-Cécile had a weaving mill (La Mécanique) and a small cigar factory. But those have long since disappeared.

Lannoo