VILLE REMARQUABLE DE SAINT-MIHIEL

Located in the heart of the Meuse Valley, 35km south of Verdun, the city of Saint-Mihiel offers its inhabitants and visitors a rich heritage marked by a strong memory. Its history is closely linked to that of its Benedictine abbey, founded in the 8th century, on a wooded hill (Mont Châtillon) a few kilometres from its current location. Legend has it that the foundation was founded as a result of a demonstration by the Archangel Michael, head of the heavenly armies. Spending a night with his suite on Mount Châtillon, Lord Wulfoad allegedly had a relic of the archangel hung on a hazelnut branch. In the morning, when he wanted to retrieve the relic, the branch rose again with each attempt. The sign was clear, Saint-Michel wanted a religious house to be founded here. For modern historians, the establishment of the Benedictines corresponds to a disgrace suffered by Wulfoad, a powerful Austrasian lord, following a rebellion against King Pepin Le Bref. The latter confiscated the lord's lands and entrusted them to Fulrad, abbot of Saint-Denis, who made use of them by setting up a Benedictine community there.

It is also said that Saint-Michel saved the city by preventing seven evil fairies from throwing large rocks into the Meuse River that would have flooded the site. Still visible, these rocks are now known as the Dames de Meuse.
Beyond the legendary aspects, we know that the Benedictine community settled near the banks of the Meuse River in the 9th century in a hamlet called Godonécourt. Over the centuries, under the impulse of the abbey, the town of Saint-Mihiel flourished and developed to the point of becoming a true artistic and cultural centre. Many footprints are still visible today, rooted in the Sami heritage: magnificent private mansions from the Renaissance, 17th and 18th centuries; a renowned artistic heritage inspired by the emergence of Ligier Richier's Sammielloise sculpture school, the leader of a cultural renewal; an exceptional Benedictine library whose oldest manuscripts date back to the 8th century. Discover Saint-Mihiel by walking through its streets, reflecting an exciting heritage.