Sentiers du Patrimoine ®
Commeny
De la place de la Mare, prendre la Grande rue vers la sortie du village et tourner dans la première rue à droite, rue du Château.
Prochain point : Lat. 49.12479, Long.1.89192
As its name suggests, a pond once stood here at the beginning of the 20th century. It was most likely fed by the small stream of the Ravine de la Cour Bouillette, which is now covered by the streets of the same name and the Fossé Séguier.
Horses were brought here after returning from the fields to clean their hooves, while herds came to drink. There were no oxen used for farm work, but in 1899, Commeny had more than 1,400 cattle, sheep, calves and lambs for fewer than 280 inhabitants. Other ponds existed to provide water for all these animals.
The largest and oldest pond was located at the northern entrance to the village, beyond the Grande Rue. The “Place de la Mare” was later filled in and has since become a much-appreciated play area for children.
When walking through Commeny, visitors are struck by the importance of walls in shaping the village and its streets. According to local oral tradition, the village was even known as “Commeny-les-Vieux-Murs” (“Commeny of the Old Walls”).
The southern entrance along the Grande Rue is particularly striking, with two walls made of rubble stone and dressed stone standing on either side of the road.
These walls once enclosed gardens, orchards, vegetable plots and other cultivated areas. Together, they formed a network of narrow paths allowing people to move from one place to another behind the properties.
Although this maze-like network has partly disappeared, traces of it can still be found to the east of the village, between Rue du Stade and the road from Commeny to Gouzangrez.
