Varennes, Somme

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Varennes is a small commune in northern France, in the Somme department, Hauts-de-France. It covers about 17 square kilometers and has around 222 residents (2023). The town lies about 24 kilometers northeast of Amiens, at the crossroads of roads D47, D447 and D179, forming a cross.

History and origins
The area was once Franc-Mailly, where the local lords lived near a manor and a mill. In 1069, the four corners of Franc-Mailly were burned on the orders of the lord, and the remaining village around the manor became Varennes. Florent de Varennes, lord of Varennes, became the first Admiral of France and led a voyage to North Africa; he died in 1270 near Tunis. Varennes’ coat of arms is red with a gold cross.

In 1472, Charles the Bold attacked Picardy and Varennes was burned again. It was rebuilt with streets arranged in a cross shape.

During the Thirty Years’ War, the village was looted and burned again in 1635. To protect themselves, the inhabitants built a large underground tunnel under the town square and the church. The tunnel is about 39 meters long with 29 rooms and wells in some rooms. Inscriptions found there in 1970 show names and dates from the 1600s. The tunnels were used as a shelter and winter workshop, but they were later closed for safety.

19th and 20th centuries
In September 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, Germans occupied Varennes for a few days, stealing from houses, damaging buildings, and demanding food for soldiers and horses. The villagers had to pay war reparations of 4,122 francs.

In 1916, during World War I, the front line was about 7 kilometers away. Many tunnels in surrounding villages were used by British troops until Easter 1918, including the tunnels near Varennes. A famous inscription there mentions J. Connoly and other names from 1918.

Today
Varennes remains a small, quiet village. The current mayor is Sylvie Brood, serving 2020–2026. The village sits at an elevation between 83 and 156 meters.

Varennes is also sometimes called Varennes-en-Croix.