Soulaines-Dhuys

Soulaines or "Solanus", Latin for "sunny". The name Dhuys (an old Celtic word for "spring") was added to Soulaines by decree on August 5, 1919. Soulaines was nicknamed "The Venice of the Aube" by Nicolas Desmarets (1725-1815), a native of the area, encyclopaedist and member of the French Academy of Sciences. The presence of Roman and Frankish sarcophagi discovered at "la vigne robert" attests to its age, but it wasn't until the land-clearing monks of the 6th century that the area was developed. As early as 1117, the Montiéramey abbey owned the Renfroissart priory, which is now the Saint-Victor estate. But the forest has always been a hindrance, with gangs of thieves hiding there. Nevertheless, in medieval times, Soulaines grew with its hospital, the Maladrerie, of which the Chapelle de St Jean remains. A former châtellenie of the Counts of Champagne from 1288, Soulaines shared the same destiny as Montmorenccy-Beaufort. In 1404, Charles IV gave Soulaines to Charles le Mauvais, King of Navarre, to form the Duchy of Nemours in exchange for his claims to Champagne and Brie. When the duchy was reunited with the crown of France, it became part of the duchy of Beaufort, which in 1597 was given by Henri IV to Gabrielle d'Estrées and her son, Duke César de Vendôme. One of the few remaining traditional tile factories, with its wood-fired kiln, can be visited. The Church of Saint Laurent dates from the 16th century. Here you can admire - 16th-century wooden statues of Saint Anne, Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mother in niches - an iron font - an 18th-century baptismal font - an 18th-century painting of the Rosary - a wooden altar - 17th-century statues of Saint Louis and Saint Laurent, saint Roch, Saint Nicolas, Saint Anne and the Virgin Mother - stained-glass windows depicting Saint Laurent, the Birth and Marriage of the Virgin, Christ of the Last Judgment, the Annunciation and the Visitation - frescoes illustrating the Triumph of the Virgin, Saint Laurent, Saint Cécile, Saint Barbe, ..... - (Source: Lucien MOREL PAYEN, Troyes et l'Aube) Population: 267 (Source INSEE-PSDC 1999) Surface area: 2006 hectares Altitude: 134 meters

DATAtourisme France