Commune de Saint-Mihiel

Many legends have been told about the foundation of the town. When Saint-Mihiel was only a small hamlet called Godonécourt, seven evil fairies wanted to destroy the city. To do this, they decided to align huge blocks of stone in the Meuse to flood the site. But the archangel St. Michael intervened and chased the seven fairies away, forcing them to move their rocks, the Dames de Meuse, to the side of a hill. Grateful, the inhabitants named their city after their savior: Saint-Mihiel.

Beyond the legendary aspects, the history of the city is closely linked to that of its Benedictine abbey, founded in the 8th century, a few kilometers from its current location. Under the impulse of the abbey, the town grew and developed into a true artistic and cultural center over the centuries: the magnificent mansions of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the Sammiello school of sculpture of Ligier Richier and the Benedictine Library, whose oldest manuscripts date from the 19th century, bear witness to this rich past.

The history of the city is also strongly marked by the two world wars. Occupied since 1914, the city is quickly bruised by the destruction. It will recover with difficulty after the liberation. The imprint of the Great War is still visible on the battlefields of the Salient of Saint-Mihiel, just a few kilometers from the little Florence of Lorraine.

DATAtourisme France