rue Henri Barbusse
59880
Saint-Saulve
The basilica of Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon in Valenciennes.
Erected between 1852 and 1865, the church is built in the neo-Gothic style. Standing at a height of 82 m, its tower houses the municipal bell known as Jeanne de Flandre, which once sounded in the town’s belfry. As a pilgrimage centre thanks to the miracle of 1008, it was promoted to the rank of minor basilica in 1922. According to legend, the virgin or an angel surrounded the town with a cord, protecting it from the plague epidemic sweeping the country and saving the population from certain death. A thousand years later, the people of Valenciennes still carry out a pilgrimage here every second Sunday in September, covering a distance of 14km around the city, setting off from Place du Canada.
Erected between 1852 and 1865, the church is built in the neo-Gothic style. Standing at a height of 82 m, its tower houses the municipal bell known as Jeanne de Flandre, which once sounded in the town’s belfry. As a pilgrimage centre thanks to the miracle of 1008, it was promoted to the rank of minor basilica in 1922. According to legend, the virgin or an angel surrounded the town with a cord, protecting it from the plague epidemic sweeping the country and saving the population from certain death. A thousand years later, the people of Valenciennes still carry out a pilgrimage here every second Sunday in September, covering a distance of 14km around the city, setting off from Place du Canada.
