In the forest of Bord, in Léry, near Val-de-Reuil, in the Eure, the Petit Saint-Ouen is sheltered by a magnificent beech forest and a pond serves as a watering hole for wildlife. According to legend, in 640 AD, Saint-Ouen, then bishop of Rouen, would have stopped in this place “conducive to healing” and blessed the waters that had become miraculous to bring down fevers and cure certain illnesses.
The Association for the Preservation of Lerysian Heritage (APPL) is mobilizing today to protect this site, which has become a place of worship and pilgrimage, threatened according to it by the A133-134 motorway project. “A pagan tradition has taken hold here,” says Emmanuel Bloc’h, a member of the APPL, founded a year and a half ago to participate in the renovation of the church, the barn room and the tradition of Petit Saint-Ouen.
“In the past, he continues, during Palm Sunday, a procession left the church to reach the statue of Saint-Ouen stuck in a remarkable beech tree. A mass then took place in front of a wrought iron portico. This procession still exists even if the statue is now placed in the church of Léry. We ride with it to the clearing. There is always a religious service, followed by a meal and a fair. It attracts a lot of people. Both children and adults. »
The rest of the time, an information panel stamped by the National Forestry Office (ONF), the Agglo Seine Eure, the department of Eure and the association of remarkable trees marks the singularity of the place. To the surprise of the volunteers, who had not officially asked for anything yet, the prefecture of Normandy has already opposed any requests for classification, specifying that it had no intention of follow it up.
“Heritage can be tangible or intangible,” recalls Emmanuel Bloc’h. We are now recognized as being of public utility and we can knock on patrons’ doors to find funds. We indeed had the idea to ask for the classification of the site, I say well the idea, because that makes it possible inter alia to publicize the things and to prevent a possible destruction. »
This is not just a figment of the mind. The site is in fact in the 300 meter wide band of the provisional route of the future A133-134 motorway, the controversial “bypass of Rouen”, which would cut the hillside. “We have already held a public meeting and launched a petition on the Change.org site”, specifies the volunteer.
“The criteria for a classification are not met”
“While this site constitutes a tree-lined complex with a remarkable character, in the same way as other trees or sites in this forest, the absence of historical elements, such as the beech where a statue of Saint-Ouen was placed and the structure metal which are no longer present on the site, led the State services to consider, after expertise, that the criteria for a classification of this site are not met”, writes for its part the prefecture in its press release dated January 24.
“The common law regulatory procedure concerning preventive archeology will of course be implemented in accordance with the regulations in force”, nevertheless takes care to specify the prefecture. “I am dazzled by the responsiveness of the prefectural services in this case when it takes months to get feedback on the declaration of public utility, comments Emmanuel Bloc’h. But what is the prefecture basing itself on when our file is being created and we have not yet submitted any request? »
The association considers that “this site is part of the religious, historical and environmental heritage of the town and the surrounding area”. “We will continue our procession, warns Emmanuel Bloc’h. We will carry out actions but we start with a collection of archives. Our official request for classification will only come later, but before the work on the motorway. Everyone is warned, the Petit Saint-Ouen will still be talked about.