Old Valenciennes On the "Heritage & Culture" tour

At the corner of rue Petit Fossart and rue Gustave Crauk, at the entrance to the Béguinage enclosure, in front of the Basilica or rue Abel Pujol… a total of 8 information totems stand in Vieux-Valenciennes, inviting visitors to delve into Valenciennes’ past and discover its many little stories. The stories of artists, trades and the places where our ancestors lived.

Enter the Beguinage enclosure

In Valenciennes, the beguinage was located near the old Porte de Famars. Today, it has been reduced to its simplest form. An arcaded opening, which could be closed at night, still gives access to a row of 13 small stone and brick houses restored in the 18th century, bearing witness to the 18th-century town’s reclamation of the beguinage’s medieval site.

Before the French Revolution, the beguinage extended from the medieval enclosure (today’s Dodenne tower) to the boundaries of the Dominican convent (rue Askièvrette) and rue des Hospices.

Discover the only remaining vestiges of the medieval enclosure…

The Dodenne tower is a former water gate in Valenciennes’ city walls, controlling the entry of the Rhonelle river into the city. At the back of the tower, you can still admire a valve designed to regulate the Rhônelle’s unpredictable flow.

Return to the Rhonelle at Place du Pont Delsaux. Take the time to wander around the square, admiring the facades of the houses and the lower reaches of the river, which still flows in the open air…

Gaze into a lace of stone

As you make your way through the streets of the old town, the silhouette of Notre-Dame will guide you like a beacon… once you reach the Basilica’s forecourt, the largest neo-Gothic edifice in the city of Hainaut will take shape before your eyes, and you’ll realize its spectacular dimensions: over 80 meters high!

An invitation to contemplation

Immerse your gaze in the details of its stone lacework. Stop for a moment on one of the square’s two benches. It’s the promise of a gentle sensation, of simple beauty, of a grandiose moment. Observe, but really observe. The Basilique du Saint-Cordon is an artistic marvel…