Journey and if we talked about the "gueules rouges"
Start: Parking of the Cultural Center of Fosses d'Enfer - 14570 Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne
A 7-stop journey will take you to the heart of the history of the mining town of Saint-Rémy. "Gueules rouges" (red faces, referring to the miners) will recount their daily lives marked by the hardship of their work but also by the solidarity of a guild that has made the industrial glory of the commune's past.
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We wish you a pleasant visit!
And what about the 'Gueules rouges' of Saint-Rémy? This route consists of 7 stops that will be indicated by a bell sound marking the beginning of each commentary.
We will now tell you the story of the village of Saint-Rémy sur Orne and its industrial past. You are embarking on about 1 hour of walking at your own pace, so let yourself be guided. You will use public roads or the greenway in some places. Please exercise the utmost caution. The mines of Saint-Rémy are called the 'fosses d'enfer' (pits of hell), due to the extreme hardship and dangers of the work. They have been exploited since 1460. Miners grouped together in a union, known as a 'league' or 'corporation of ferrons.' The mines of Saint-Rémy are renowned in the region for the wealth and abundance of their iron ore. The First World War disrupts production, leading to a decline until a revival from 1946 to 1961. The decline of the mine is felt from 1962 before closing permanently in 1967.
You are in the parking lot of the cultural center of Les Fosses d'enfer. Move towards the greenway, located behind the building, to see the old mining town on your right. Be cautious on the greenway, as it is used by cyclists and pedestrians. I'm Simon, a miner at the Beaumont mine, the name of the open-pit mine in the village. I'm what they call a 'red face,' and we are part of the ironworkers' guild. Here, the ore is of exceptional quality because it contains iron content among the richest in France. In fact, our mines received a gold medal at the 1905 World's Fair in Liège for their results.
You can see the remains of the old mining operation. Standing witness through the ages, the tall chimneys of its roasting furnaces are still there. The activity of the Saint-Rémy mine reached its peak around 1952, producing 237,000 tonnes per year and constituting a considerable economic hub for the region. The forges of the bocage, located south of Condé-sur-Noireau, were the ones marketing the ore.
Return to the parking lot, then walk along the departmental road on your right towards the village. Take the first street on your left, at the end of the street, turn left, then right to reach the old mining town.
I arrived with my family in the mining town of Saint-Rémy in November 1939. We had to leave Volmerange, our Lorraine village near the Maginot Line, to take refuge here, like several of our neighbors. Papa, who was not mobilized in the French army, was assigned to the mines, and Mama worked on farms. We lived in the small town; it was a big change for us, but we were very well received. I have never left Normandy since then.
Do not miss the Mont des Vêpres, hills overlooking the area, the old mining town on your right in front of you. The access to Mont des Vêpres is on the left, at the end of the path.
I am Lucien; I worked for 10 years at the Saint-Rémy mine. The mine's operation was organized into a maze of open-air galleries, and the hill in front of you, named Mont de Vêpres, still bears the traces. We transported the ore to level 0 using a system of small rail carts, conveyed by the rollers – what a job. In my team, there were three of us: I was the loader, Michel, a miner, was the only one allowed to use explosives, and the young guy, as we called him, was François; he was an assistant miner and was passionate about the work, planning to take over one day. Our work, though tough, was enjoyable. The atmosphere was incredible, and I must say that mutual help and solidarity were very present; we were all friends, supporting each other.
The iron deposit in Saint-Rémy has two types of ores: hematite, a very iron-rich ore called 'the red' by miners, and carbonate, poorer, called 'the violet.'
Now, go back the way you came, pass by the mining town, turn right, then left on Launay Street. Pass by the washhouse and stop at the lectern to learn more about the village, then continue to the Miners' Chapel on Rue de la Poste, 200m to the right after the washhouse.
I am Father Renouf, and you are standing in front of the chapel Notre-Dame, commonly known as the Miners' Chapel. In 1967, the bishop asked me to establish a place of worship here in Saint-Rémy. This central location, not far from the town and the old mining town, seemed ideal to me. I wanted this chapel to be entirely dedicated to the miners, which is why the altar is symbolized by a wagon, and the cross is represented by miners' picks.
Continue straight ahead now, towards the village church.
I am the old yew tree, the closest and oldest neighbor of the church. You know, it has seen many centuries; it was well there before my birth. The oldest part, in the Romanesque style, dates back to the 12th century, as evidenced by its bell tower. It has been renovated on several occasions. Inside, there is still a triumphal arch supported by capitals carved with shells, faces, and foliage. The altar is also adorned with very elaborate woodwork and sculptures. The church choir is decorated with numerous murals depicting the life of the village.
Go back down to the greenway and take it to your right towards the Froger Gosselin factory, whose chimneys you can see.
I am Martine; I worked all my life for the Froger Gosselin spinning mill. The Froger family built the factory in 1860 right here on the banks of the Orne. They used hydraulic power. It seems that in 1892, the company became Froger Gosselin after the marriage of Blanche Froger and Léon Gosselin. We specialized in textiles, but the activity stopped during World War I. Later, a bandage factory was annexed to the mill. In fact, pharmaceutical bandages were mass-produced for the army, the police, and even the hospital during World War II. I remember in 1940, we were making 70,000 individual bandages per day for soldiers' equipment. Of course, today, the activity has changed, and the company produces makeup removal pads and cotton swabs.
Now, proceed on the greenway to the cultural center of Fosses d'enfer, your starting point. Did you know that the Suisse-Normande greenway is part of a bike route that connects the English Channel to the Atlantic, the Vélo Francette, which starts from Ouistreham and ends in La Rochelle? A 600 km route that allows you to discover the flavors of sweet France, crossing Normandy, Pays de la Loire, and Poitou-Charentes. Suisse-Normande offers a very natural stage of Vélo Francette, where cyclists ride along the twists and turns of the Orne and its carved granite gorges, a paradise for canoes. Nestled in the heart of the valley, the villages of Thury Harcourt, Saint-Rémy-sur-Orne, Clécy, and Pont d'Ouilly, with their terraces by the water, warmly welcome travelers. During your stop, be sure to visit the Fosses d'enfer cultural center, which hosts high-quality exhibitions every year. We hope you enjoyed this journey through the different eras that have shaped our village into what it is today. We remind you that the collection 'And if we talked about...' has 7 routes with various themes concerning the towns and villages of Bretteville-sur-Laize, Saint-Rémy sur Orne, Clécy, Thury Harcourt, and La Pommeraye with its emblematic site of Château Ganne.
