Village underground refuges in Northern France

The large village underground refuges located in Northern France have been dug in the countryside around Amiens, Arras and Cambrai from the late Middle Ages, particular during the Wars of Religion (second half of the 16th century) and the Thirty Years' War (17th century, from 1635 to 1659). These large shelters often opened in the village centre, in the church or in the adjacent cemetery. From this entry, a long descent gallery leads to one or two central galleries, or even three in some cases, which are like streets. Laterally, on each side of these streets, short corridors lead to single rooms or two adjoining rooms. These spacious networks feature air shafts, niches, holes dug into the walls to install wooden hay racks, rock-cut troughs and small cavities for grain storage. For the defence, the descent gallery was interrupted by iron grates and thick wooden doors. The short corridors leading from the street to each room were closed by a thinner wooden door. These large complexes including several dozen rooms, and even up to 150 for the largest of them, could accommodate several hundred people.

Beside the church

Descent

Central street

Double room

Pocket of clay

Manger