 
(left)
Abbey ruins after the Revolution
(right)
Today: 17th century tower of the old abbey, beautifully
ornate.
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Historic Abbey in the
forest
Saint Amand founded an abbey here on the banks of the River
Scarpe in the 7th century, and a small town grew up at the
abbey gates.
The saint travelled the area
(including what is now Belgium) as a missionary,
converting it back to Christianity and founding 20
monasteries.
The local king granted him a big estate in the forest by the
river, where he built the first abbey. Over the centuries
the St. Amand's abbey buildings were destroyed and rebuilt
many times, mainly due to fighting in this border
district.
French
Revolution
The abbey was last rebuilt when this area finally became
French in 1668. Most of the abbey church was then demolished
in the Revolution, but the ornate tower survives. The
Abbey's extensive estates now form part of the forested
Nature
Park which surrounds the
town.
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