Courcelles-sous-Moyencourt, built on the ancient Roman road Amiens-Rouen, is a small village in the canton of Poix-de-Picardie, in the department of the Somme region of Hauts-de-France.
Courcelles-sous-Moyencourt is part of the CC2SO, Communauté de communes South-West Somme.
The territory covers 6.8 km². The commune counts 127 inhabitants with the census of the population of 2015.
Surrounded by the towns of Moyencourt-lès-Poix, Crossrault, Bussy-Lès-Poix, Fresnoy au Val, Namps-Maisnil and Quevauvillers, Courcelles-Sous-Moyencourt is located 7 km north-east of Poix-de-Picardie and 20 km southwest of Amiens.
The GR 125, long-distance path that goes from Blanc-Fossé (60) to Saint-Valery-Sur-Somme, goes to Courcelles-sous-Moyencourt.
The City Council of April 5, 2018 adopted a coat of arms for the municipality of Courcelles-Sous-Moyencourt. The Fleur de Lys are reminiscent of the coat of arms of Picardy and the Somme.
The Sautoir composed of three merlettes is inspired by that of the family of Sarcus, very old family of the Middle Ages of Courcelles, probably at the origin of our calvary of the fifteenth century. The sheep: some will be able to see the evocation of the paschal lamb of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Saint Patron of the parish and its church. But its presence is also justified by the history of the village. Indeed, sheep is the emblematic domestic animal of the agricultural, economic and social life of Courcelles-sous-Moyencourt until the beginning of the 20th century.
The castle was commissioned by Pierre Langlois of Septenville, administrator of the Post Office in the Kingdom, and was completed in 1751. It has 100 doors and windows which, by careful calculations of proportion, do not give a massive appearance but elegant lines. The castle remained authentic, as it was in the 18th century. Other buildings such as the dovecote are vintage and very well preserved. Some outbuildings suffered a fire but were rebuilt in keeping with the style of the castle, including the jumenterie, the kennel, the clock, the carousel and the farmhouse. The castle has known in spite of its centuries of history only 10 owners, family and descendants more or less distant from Pierre Langlois de Septenville.
The Courcelles Castle gardens are composed of a central alley and small paths starting from it. Created in the 19th century, the 20-hectare arboretum is home to a rock cave. The park owes its beauty to Maxime de Gomer who was for a generation the owner of the castle. Passionate and author of several books of horticulture, he gives the arboretum its splendor today. Redwoods, cedars, cypresses, yews, araucarias grow among rhododendrons, ferns and wild orchids.
Past Historical Monument, the local castle, belonging to the Villoutreys de Brignac, can not be visited, except for a few rooms on the occasion of the Heritage Days. However, the place deserves the visit. First to appreciate the main building, and its 2,400 m² of living space, completed in 1751, but also the outbuildings: stable, mare, kennel, dovecote, etc. Then for its 30 hectare park which houses including 15 llamas with which you can even go for a walk. Finally for its arboretum with more than 200 plant species including bicentennial trees, sequoias over 55 meters high and rhododendrons from the Himalayas. The exteriors of the castle are open to visitors. Studio or cottage accommodation at the Maison de l'Horloge are available.
The parish church built during the sixteenth century is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It experienced significant restorations, in 1827 (addition of buttresses), in 1850 (construction of the sacristy) and during the nineteenth century (1987 and 1991 - consolidation of the side walls and roof). The single-aisled nave and choir are covered with elegant wooden vaults whose ribs are painted and are lit by large windows, wide in the choir, narrower in the nave. The choir is flamboyant ogival style and the altarpiece is Louis XV style. The church contains interesting furniture and mainly stained glass windows of the nineteenth century offered by Maxime de Gomer, owner of the castle at that time.
A calvary, considered by specialists as one of the oldest of the department, was built in the fifteenth century at the end of the village square. With many ornaments, including lily flowers, six-pointed stars and a scallop shell, it is being registered with the Protection of Historical Monuments.
Come and learn about the cultural and leisure activities of the area with the Tourist Office of Poix-de-Picardie and with the CC2SO (community of communes Somme South-West).
At the gates of Amiens and near the Bay of Somme, along the hiking trails, discover the castles, churches, rivers of the southwest of the Somme. Enjoy the Aquasoa Aquatic Center and a real miniature golf course on the ZAC Mine d'Or, at exit 13 of the A29 near Croixrault.
