Solesmes: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Solesmes was first mentioned in 706. The town contains Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Gallo-Roman remains. The Église Saint-Martin is an 18th-century church with a Baroque-style façade.

When planning a stay in Solesmes, the desire to rent a holiday apartment may determine the choice of accommodation.

Culture and History

Solesmes town hall was built in 1903; its façade combines classical and neo-Flemish styles. The Solesmes bandstand was designed by the architect Henri Mallet and built in 1888. It has eight cast-iron posts whose tops are decorated with ornaments in the shape of treble clefs.

The Calvary cross of Solesmes was created in 1861 in a more strongly Gothic style by the Valenciennes-born architect Emile Dutouquet. The fountains in Rue de l’Abbaye are made of stone and sandstone and date from the 7th and 19th centuries.

Things to Do

The Au Pays de Barbari circular hiking trail is 10 km long. Its duration is given as between 2 hours 30 minutes and 3 hours 20 minutes. The route starts at the car park by the former Solesmes railway station and is marked in yellow. It runs along country lanes around Solesmes and leads from the Béart Valley to the Selle Valley.

The monks of the nearby priory created basins to collect water from several small springs and form a fishpond. The excess water flows into the small Les Fontaines stream, which joins the Selle.

Traditions

The Solesmes Carnival brings the Seringueux together every year. Since 1953, the giant Barbari, with a syringe in his hand, has symbolised the carnival tradition of Solesmes.

The Les Amis de Barbari association is committed to reviving and continuing the local carnival customs of Solesmes, particularly the tradition involving the syringe. It also aims to establish a folklore group centred around the giant Barbari to publicise these customs by taking part in carnival parades.

Other places: Prisches, Éclaibes, Anstaing, Prouvy, Coutiches, Denain, Loon-Plage, Bas-Lieu

To the higher-level travel overview: North.