Merville (;

West Flemish West Flemish (''West-Vlams'' or ''West-Vloams'' or ''Vlaemsch'' (in French Flanders), , ) is a collection of Low Franconian varieties spoken in western Belgium and the neighbouring areas of France and the Netherlands. West Flemish is spoken by ...

: ''Mergem'') is a commune in the

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

department and

Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The town lies 13 kilometres north of

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a town in northern France, Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department. Geography Béthune is located in the Provinces of Fran ...

, and 30 kilometres west of

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

History

Industry

Located at the convergence of a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

system and a

canalised River engineering is a discipline of civil engineering which studies human intervention in the course, characteristics, or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and b ...

river, Merville supported an extensive boat-building industry, with many different shipyards and chandlers located in the town. The industry went into decline in the post-war era and is today virtually extinct.

First World War

During the course of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the village was completely destroyed. The 6th Jat Light Infantry were billeted here in 1915. The ''Merville Communal Cemetery and Extension'' is also located here.

Notable buildings

The parish church of St Peter in Merville is a very large capacity parish church, whose dimensions make it a prominent landmark, visible at considerable distances from the town. Merville is a parish of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lille The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Metropolitae Insulensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse Metropolitain de Lille'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Its cathedral episcopal see is a Maria ...

. The diocesan

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

of the Lille diocese was formerly located in Merville. It is also a very large structure, built on four storeys around a central cloister, with large chapel and refectory, and accommodation for over 200 staff and students. With decreasing numbers of

vocation A vocation () is an Work (human activity), occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. ...

s the seminary closed in 1970. The extensive buildings were briefly occupied by a community of

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and ...

s, and then became the Lille diocese's retreat and conference centre, a role in which it is still employed today. The main town square is dominated by the town hall (Hôtel de Ville), which is built in the Flemish Renaissance style. It incorporates a very tall clock tower, with a working public clock. File:Merville-town-hall.jpg, The town hall in Merville File:Merville-church-interior.jpg, The parish church of St Peter in Merville

Heraldry

Population

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (marine west coast/

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

).Climate Summary for Merville
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Le Sart

Le Sart is a small village located about 2 km west of Merville. It forms part of the Merville commune, and is connected to the town by a regular bus service. It has a small parish church dedicated to Notre Dame des Affligés (Our Lady of the Afflicted). File:LeSart-sign.jpg, Village sign on the approach to Le Sart File:LeSart-centre.jpg, Le Sart: the village centre File:LeSart-church.jpg, Le Sart: the parish church

References

{{authority control Communes of Nord (French department) French Flanders