Crépy-en-Valois (, literally ''Crépy in Valois'') is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
located in the
Oise
Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. It is located in the
Paris Metropolitan Area
The Paris metropolitan area (french: aire d'attraction de Paris) is a statistical area that describes the reach of commuter movement to and from Paris, France and its surrounding suburbs.
Overview
In 2020 France's national INSEE statistica ...
Crépy-en-Valois was founded in the tenth century by the count of Valois and served as the capital of the Valois county and duchy. During the Middle Ages, the city profited from the Champagne fairs, markets for leather, cloth, spices, and other goods. Then, the Valois and the town of Crépy-en-Valois were annexed by the monarchy, and administration was given to a member of the royal family. During the war against the English in fourteenth century, the town was destroyed.
In 1828, Crépy-en-Valois annexed the commune of Bouillant. In 1861, a railway station was built, and the town experienced economic growth.
On 1 September 1914, the 13th Infantry Brigade of 5th Division, part of the British Expeditionary Force, fought a rearguard action here against the advancing German Army, during the
Retreat from Mons
The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...
.
The population of the town increased after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, because Crépy is located near Paris ().
Crépy-en-Valois was deeply affected by the 1982 Beaune coach crash, in which 44 local children died. Every year since the tragedy, the town hall has held a commemoration on the anniversary date.
Transilien Paris-Nord
Transilien Paris-Nord is one of the sectors in the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this sector depart from Gare du Nord in central Paris, and serve the north-west and north-east of Île-de-France region with Transilien lines H ...
suburban rail line and on the regional rail line to Laon. Travel by train will take about forty five minutes from Gare du Nord.
Historic monuments
Crépy-en-Valois has a total of thirteen ''
monuments historiques
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'', two classed and eleven inscribed. It had a fourteenth that was destroyed during World War II.
* Priory of Saint-Arnoul, a medieval Cluniac monastery founded by the old counts of Valois, inscribed in 1943 and 1979.
*A collegiate church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury from the 12th century, classed in 1875.
*Château Saint-Aubin, 10th–13th centuries, inscribed 3 April 1926.
* Église Saint-Denis, a 12th-century parish church, inscribed 29 November 1977.
* Église Saint-Martin de Bouillant, a 15th-century parish church, inscribed 23 February 1951.
*Hôtel de la Rose, built in 1537, inscribed 8 February 2001.
*Maison Le Corandon, 16th century, inscribed 7 November 1979.
*A 16th-century house at 18 rue de la Cloche, inscribed 4 August 1978.
*Hôtel Saint-Joseph, from 1649, inscribed 8 May 1933.
*Fond-Marin, a 17th-century hydraulic nymphaeum and laundry, inscribed 14 May 2003.
*Maison Quatre Saisons, façade 1758, inscribed 8 May 1933.
*Hôtel d'Orléans, also called Maison Jeanne d'Arc, a 14th-century house, inscribed 30 March 1978.
*The ruins of the Paris gate, built in 1788–92, classed on 26 May 1951.
*A 13th-century house, 9 rue Nationale, inscribed 8 May, was destroyed in World War II.