Picardie

Picardie is a region located north of Paris which we have only started to explore. The historical region was smaller than the current administrative one that comprises areas north of Paris where people certainly do not feel like Picards. Worse still, we have included in this gallery photos taken in areas that are not even in the administratirve region but rather in the Val d'Oise departement. We decided to do so because we felt they did not belong geographically to the other Ile de France areas we had already visited.

You will thus find photos of the following towns or areas in this gallery: Chantilly, Auvers sur Oise, senlis, Chaalis and Royaumont.

Senlis

 Senlis

Senlis was founded under the romans and later evolved as a royal town durin the middle ages.

It has the remains of roman architecture and a gothic cathedral.

Royaumont

 Royaumont

The Royaumont abbey was built in only 7 years the 13th century under Louis IX.

After the French revolution, its buildings were transformed in a textile factory. 

It is not the...

Chaalis abbey

 Chaalis abbey

The abbey of Chaalis is a very old affair. The first mentions of the place date back from the 7th century. The abbey itself was founded in 1136 and got very prosperous in the 13th century. A large...

Chantilly

 Chantilly

Chantilly is named after Cantilius, a Roman who owned a villa there. During the middle ages, a castle was built in Chantilly. It belonged to the lords of Senlis and played an important role during...

Baie de Somme

 Baie de Somme

Located in the Western part of Picardie, the baie de Somme is one of the largest bays in France, with the baie du Mont Saint Michel and the baie de l'Aiguillon. It is a land of immense skies...

Pierrefonds

 Pierrefonds

The castle of Pierrefonds was initially built in the 15th century, by Louis of Orleans, the youngest son of the royal family at that time.

It was dismantled in 1617 by king Louis XIII. ...