Sainte-Cécile

The village of Sainte-Cécile sits on horseback on the border between the Ardennes proper and the softer Land of Gaum. Measured along the N83, the village is located about 7 km northwest of the larger Florenville. The tranquil residential area of Sainte-Cécile has something of both the Gaume and the Ardennes in terms of construction. Its very beginning would have been a nunnery, of course dedicated to Saint Cecilia, the patroness of the musicians. But in 1380 that monastery went up in flames during a battle between the lords of Chassepierre and the troops of the Liege prince-bishop. Also during the French Revolution the village was partly destroyed. For example, on Christmas Day 1793, the French revolutionaries sent scouts to the village, but the inhabitants happily blasted away from behind a hedge. A French officer was killed, much to French anger, but the inhabitants fled into the forest, where they hid for a year. Meanwhile, Sainte-Cécile was partially burned down. Stories of war and destruction: constants in the life of a village.

Lannoo