Longavesnes: Church, Walking Trails and Reconstruction History

Longavesnes brings together reconstruction history and specific routes. The Saint-Martin parish church and the Reconstruction Fountain in the village represent different aspects of local history; the walks, meanwhile, focus on their own distinct features: distance, duration and landscape. If you are planning a stay, you can consider the history of the buildings and the character of the routes as separate topics.

Reconstruction of the Saint-Martin parish church

The Saint-Martin parish church is located on Rue de l'Eglise. It was destroyed during the First World War and subsequently rebuilt according to the design drawings Louis Faille provided in 1926. Faille was one of the reconstruction architects who completed the church in Longavesnes. The upper part of the façade is finished in white, cream-coloured and yellow brickwork. The façade design adds a clearly identifiable detail to the building's history.

The fountain and the former water supply

A different feature is the Reconstruction Fountain in the centre of the Longavesnes roundabout. It is flanked on both sides by cartwheels. It reminds residents of the former daily “corvée du puits”, when drinking water had to be drawn. The cartwheels are the specific architectural motif; the memory of drawing water every day recalls the work of everyday life in the past. The church and fountain thus point to two distinct historical layers: post-war reconstruction and the everyday task of supplying water.

Walks with the same distance but a different character

For walks, it helps to consider the same distance of 9 km in its respective context. The 2025 programme describes Sentiers en Fête as an annual walking event associated with the Office de Tourisme Péronne Haute Somme. At the 2025 event, a 9 km family walk passed through Marquaix-Hamelet, Longavesnes and Tincourt-Boucly. The specific route may vary from one edition to another. Another 9 km route is the “Sur les traces de Louis Faille” circular walk in the Haute-Somme. It is an easy, agricultural walking route focused on reconstruction heritage; it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes. The same distance makes it easy to compare lengths, but the contexts differ: one refers to an edition of an event involving three communes, while the other is a named circular walk with its own description and approximate duration.

Paths across the plain and river landscape

Another route is “L'Ermitage de Moyenpont”. After passing through Longavesnes, it crosses the plain to Bois Serré and the larris du bois Roi. This sequence creates a distinct landscape focus: from the village, across the plain, to two named destinations. The topography at the lieu-dit “Le Champ Dessart” is also described in specific terms. The archaeological site lies on a south-facing slope where two dry valleys converge in the direction of the Cologne. Today, the Cologne is a tributary of the Somme. The slope, dry valleys and connection to the river describe the surroundings on a different scale from the buildings: here, the focus is on landforms and the relationship with water.

Discover more destinations: Crécy-En-Ponthieu, Chépy, Neuvillette, Bernay-en-Ponthieu, Béalcourt, Longpré-Les-Corps-Saints, Péronne, Vismes.

For the broader travel overview: Somme.