The Ardennes...
Land of Legends
A rich, fertile countrysite has always inspired legends and folklore.
The forest of the Ardennes conforms to this rule and each corner of the town can inspire your imagination and lead you to discover the different legends, the most well-known of which is no doubt that of the “Dames de Meuse”.
- “L’Ouyeu” du fond des Bauges
- The legend of the Dames de Meuse
- La Pierre “Haussée” or the three miracles of saint Agrapaud
- La Roche de la Dame Blanche
- Le Prince de colimé
REVIN TOURIST OFFICE
2 rue Victor Hugo
08500 REVIN
Phone : 03.24.40.19.59
Fax : 03.24.41.20.98
The site of the dames de Meuse in not in Revin but in Laifour.
However, these rocks are opposite the Petite commune, near Revin.
Legend tells us that :
In the year one thousand and eighty, the Lord of Hierges had three sons : Héribrand, Geoffroy and Vauthier, who married the three daughters of the Lord of Rethel : Hodierne, Berthe and Ige. Shortly after their marriage the young men left for the crusades in Palestine with Godefroy de Bouillon. Wilst they were fighting in the Holy Land to free the tomb of Christ, their wives betrayed their vows and welcomed into their castle and into their beds three smooth- talking Knights who had been too cowardly to follow their comrades on the Crusades. But, the very day that Jerusalem was delivered, God, as a punishment to the adulterous wives, changed them into three large rocks, joined together, covered with scrub or moss. These rocks overlook the river from which, at a distance , they seem of emerge and are called the “Dames de Meuse”. Meyrac
The Dames de Meuse, infaithful wives of the three Knights departed on the crusades, were turned to stone and form one of the most beautiful sights in the Valley. The site was listed on 3 February 1997.
The strange name given to these rocks, which in no way resemble the female form, will intrigue the tourist, but there is an old map on which these rocks are shown under the name “Notre Dame de Meuse”.
The mariners of former times believed in them, invoking the Virgin Mary, when passing the loftiest of the peaks, which is about 400 metres high.
This explanation is a likely one as, at that point, navigation was very difficult and caused several accidents. This has been remedied now by the construction of a canal whose straight symmetrical course detracts a little from the picture