Sentiers du Patrimoine ®
Ennery
Prendre à droite le Vieux chemin de Pontoise à Labbeville. Avancer jusqu’au panneau évoquant les friches du centre France Telecom. .
Prochain point : Lat : 49.076094 Long : 2.113197
This cross, known as that of the “Reposoir,” was erected in 1868 by the inhabitants of the rue de la Croix, as mentioned by the inscription on the stone base. The cross in itself was made with wrought iron. The name “reposoir” probably indicates this cross used to serve as a monstrance altar for the procession of the Feast of Corpus Christi or the Solemnity of the Most holy Body and Blood of Christ. This catholic ceremony goes back to the Middle ages and takes place on the second Sunday after Pentecost. The consecrated Wafer is lead into a procession by the priest and the parishioners , and left during the different stages on temporary monstrance altars that are called “reposoir” in French. These processions used to be quite important in the countryside.
The cross also plays the role of a crossroad cross, a topographic marker at the crossroads between the old road going from Pontoise to Labbeville and the village road going to Valmondois and L’Isle-Adam. However, in the second half of the 19th century, the crosses weren’t the only road markers for travellers. Road signs for coach drivers, as the one you can see higher up in the street, indicate the distance from the nearby towns. These signs with cast iron plaques with letters in relief appeared around 1845 and were meant to facilitate the traffic on the national territory and to unify the information systems for travellers. Nowadays often corroded, these plaques were most of the time blue with white letters.
