1
THE CHURCH OF ST. SAUVE, MONTREUIL.
Montreuil is a town of France, in that part of Picardy which now forms
the Department of the Pas de Calais. It is situated on a hill, the foot of which is
bathed by the little river Canche, about three leagues from the sea, nine leagues
S.S.E. of Boulogne, and fifty-four leagues N.N.W. of Paris. It is a small fortified
town, with about 3,500 inhabitants; it suffered considerably during the French
revolution, but it still contains several good buildings. Among them are two
ancient Abbeys, which were both of the order of St. Benoit; one of St. Sauve,
represented in the plate, for men; the other of St. Austrelette, for females.
The town is divided into two parts, the lower town on the banks of the
river Canche, and the upper town, which is separated from it by a wall.
King Philip the First, having repudiated Queen Bertha, his consort, assigned
her Montreuil for her place of banishment, where she died in the year 1093. This
town is called Montreuil-sur-mer, to distinguish it from many other towns in France
of the same name.
The accompanying Vignettes represent the front of a curious old fashioned
house, and a statue of the Virgin crowned, holding the infant Jesus in her arms,
placed in a richly ornamented niche.