The name comes from Savonnières cockle. Officinale cockle (Saponaria officinalis) is a perennial herb of the family Caryophyllaceae. It is also called savonnaire, soap dish, saponière, soap grass, grass Fuller, soap ditch or pit soap.
The village is mentioned for the first time in 1460 under the name Saponarias. This etymology seems to prove the existence in the Gallo-Roman, a soap factory on the territory of the commune.
The origin of Savonnières-devant-Bar probably goes back to that of its larger neighbor, Bar-le-Duc. The proximity of the Roman road that passed in the Ornain valley is linked to the existence of an activity on the site.
The village belongs until 1460 to the abbey of Saint-Mihiel which then yields to René, King of Sicily and Duke of Bar. The Saint-Calixte would be the exact replica - in 1/2 scale - of the old abbey which had been erected in the heart of Bar Dukes castle. The Italian influence was very strong and it continues to persist in many works and monuments that remain in the upper town of Bar-le-Duc.
Louis XVI puts an end to the financial and political influence of the dukes of Bar. The walls and the castle were destroyed. Only the clock tower is spared. It is now the last remnant of the old feudal pregnant.
However, it was during the Renaissance emerge some historical landmarks, when some noble families settled on the current territory of the commune. From the family or More From Lamorre is probably the one that will leave its deepest imprint on Savonnières-devant-Bar and this, for several centuries, until the French Revolution. In 1746, one member of this family has the listener councilor and secretary of the council chamber and accounts of Bar-le-Duc.
It's the industrial revolution of the nineteenth century that will directly benefit the development of the town including, proximity to nearby industries with the Ornain valley foundries, textiles, breweries, etc.
The town was hit by the cholera epidemic of 1832. 10 people died between June 23 and July 17 of that year.
Twice, in 1870 and 1937, part of the territory of the municipality was granted to the town of Bar-le-Duc to promote industrial development.
At the height of the Battle of Verdun (February-December 1916), many military hospitals are located in Bar-le-Duc and its immediate surroundings.
Savonnières-devant-Bar hosts several hundred wounded who are treated in a hospital in the nearby remains of the current town hall. Several huts "Adrian" (named after the inventor military engineer including the helmet that will equip the French troops in 1915) are then built into the adjoining park, in addition to the initial capacity of this field hospital.
82 soldiers die in the municipality of their wounds received on the Verdun front.
The names of the seven Saponariens who died for France during the conflict, are listed on the memorial (Source gen. Web. Meuse).
The chief town, Bar-le-Duc is declared "open city" in May 1940. Savonnières-devant-Bar is spared by the fighting taking place in the region Montplonne. In this village is stationary command post of a regiment of Senegalese riflemen, supported by a march of the Foreign Legion company.
Dammarie the bridge remains intact, while downstream, the genius of the French army destroyed all the bridges over the Marne-Rhine canal or Ornain (canal bridge Fains-les-Sources).
The town developed after World War II to reach a population peak in the sixties: 642 inhabitants in 1962.
Mayor Alexander Violle, fosters a dynamic development including the construction of a new school and a village hall. In addition, the municipality hosts many economic activities: retail, commercial and craft activities...
This period also represents the emergence of the urban district of Bar-le-Duc with the creation of Salvanges areas of activities and Poutôts area.
