L'Étoile

L'Étoile is a commune in the Somme department, located between Abbeville and Amiens. It currently has nearly 1200 inhabitants.

The municipal territory is structured and shaped by the valley of the Somme and that of the Nièvre. This territory is also marked, in its northern part, by a promontory which limits the space towards the village of Bouchon and Long, and by a roughly oval spur, 94 m high, called Camp César, to the east.

The priory of Moreaucourt, whose ruins are currently on the territory of L'Étoile, was the northernmost of the monasteries under the abbey of Fontevraud. The former priory was listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments.

The industrial heritage is represented through the former Saint-Frères des Moulins Bleus factory and its workers' estates.

The many ponds created by peat extraction make it an ideal place for family fishing.

Municipality	L'Étoile
Postcode	80830
Latitude	50.0228500 (N 50° 1’ 22”)
Longitude	2.0345190 (E 2° 2’ 4”)
Altitude	From 7m to 113m
Surface area	7.90 km²
Population	1182 inhabitants
Density	150 inhabitants/km²
Prefecture	Amiens (31 km, 27 min)
Insee code	80296
Intercommunality	CC Nièvre et Somme
Department	Somme
Territory	Picardy
Region	Hauts-de-France

Bouchon	2.1 km (5 min)
Condé-Folie	3.3 km (5 min)
Mouflers	4.5 km (6 min)
Flixecourt	4.5 km (7 min)
Longpré-les-Corps-Saints	4.9 km (9 min)
Long	5 km (9 min)
Villers-sous-Ailly	5.5 km (9 min)
Vauchelles-lès-Domart	5.5 km (9 min)
Ville-le-Marclet	5.7 km (10 min)
Bettencourt-Rivière	6.9 km (12 min)
Bettencourt-Saint-Ouen	7.3 km (10 min)
Cocquerel	7.3 km (12 min)
Bourdon	7.4 km (10 min)
Surcamps	7.7 km (12 min)

The church of Saint-Jacques le Majeur is attached to the south side of the oppidum. Built in limestone, it measures 26.50 m long and 8.70 m wide. The remains date in part from the 17th and 18th centuries. However, excavations carried out in 2000 tend to prove that a religious building existed in this place in the 12th century. But in 1977 the choir and the sacristy were badly damaged during a first fire. Then in July 1985 the bell tower collapsed overnight. Finally, a second fire in 1991 ravaged the building. However, its current "open-air" aspect makes it a remarkable monument.
The old cemetery of L'Étoile is undoubtedly contemporary with the church. The wrought iron crosses decorated with various motifs mark its original location at the apse of the church. Its first attraction is the remarkable panorama it offers over the valley. But also, while strolling there, you will be able to discover remarkable tombs there; a sandstone cross known as the cross of the station, a bust signed Albert Roze, an owl carved on a cross...
The oppidum or "Caesar camp" is a fortified site from the end of the Bronze Age and the Gallic Wars. If initially the work of Abbot Fonttenu in 1734 dates its construction to the 4th century, excavations carried out in the 19th century brought to light several domed bronze helmets dating from around 1800 BC. JC. The site appears to have been occupied since Neolithic, Bronze, Iron, Roman and Merovingian times. The oppidum was classified as a Historic Monument in 1862.
Located at the exit of Flixecourt, on the territory of the municipality of L'Étoile, the Priory of Moreaucourt is today an archaeological and landscape park of nearly 2 hectares. Property of the Community of Communes Nièvre and Somme, it is open to visitors as well as to social and cultural life.
In the Middle Ages, L'Étoile had several mills, including Moulins-Bleus, a name that recalls the existence of one or more waide mills, which ground the leaves of this dye plant. The activity of the town is dominated from 1883 by the weaving of jute by Saint Frères. The new production unit then employed more than 740 people in 1888. Until 1978, the Moulins-Bleus factory was the first company in the town. However, before the establishment of Saint Frères, the town already had a textile activity which began in 1821.
The cycle route is a 160 km long cycle route that connects Ham to Saint-Valery sur Somme, in largely taking the towpath along the Somme. For many years, workers from Long used it to come and work at the Moulins Bleus factory at 5 a.m. and work their 12-hour day! A few years later, the factory provided a shuttle boat for the journey.
The pedestrian loops of L'Étoile are hiking circuits created by the association for the preservation of heritage and the tourist attractiveness of L'Étoile (L'APATE). Two circuits are currently signposted: the Hauts de Bouchon (8 km) and the Bois des Six (6.2 km).

Monuments	Abbey of Moreaucourt

The market, every Thursday morning.
July 13: concert and fireworks.
July 14: festivities.
July 23 and August 13: Along the APATE, hiking and music on the banks of the Somme.

Last name	Activity type	Rate	City
French classes for Dutch speakers	Culture and education	35 € to 55 €	Auxi-le-Château (24 km)
Seal hike in the Bay of Somme	Nature and the great outdoors	10 € to 18 €	Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (32 km)
All-terrain electric scooter in the Bay of Somme	Sports sensations	45 € to 105 €	Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (35 km)
All-terrain electric scooter ride in the Bay of Somme	Nature and the great outdoors	39 €	Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (35 km)
Meet the seals in the Bay of Somme	Nature and the great outdoors	7 € to 300 €	Cayeux-sur-Mer (40 km)

Last name	Outing type	Difficulty	Duration	Departure municipality
Circuit of the Bois des Six	Village visit	Easy	2:00	L'Étoile
Les Planches River via the hydroelectric plant	Hike	Easy	1:00	Long (4.2 km)
Centuloise walk	Hike	Intermediate	3:00	Saint-Riquier (13.5 km)
Launch site of the Second World War V1	Village visit	Easy	2:00	Saint-Maulvis (19.3 km)
The three castles	Hike	Intermediate	4:00	Courcelles-sous-Moyencourt (23 km)

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L'Étoile