Selens: Church, Calvary and Hiking Trails

Selens brings together two distinct themes for planning a trip: the village’s architectural and commemorative heritage, and hikes through the countryside around the village. The Gothic Notre-Dame Church is in the heart of the village, and the Calvary is in the village centre. The Circuit d’Albitus et de Bartel is one of the walking trails around Selens. You can therefore plan your stay around your interest in the village centre or a countryside walk.

Church and Village Centre

The Gothic Notre-Dame Church stands in the heart of the village and was built entirely from stone quarried locally. Its location and construction give the building two distinct connections to Selens: it is in the village centre, and its stone comes from local quarries. If you are interested in religious buildings, two clear aspects stand out: its Gothic style and its stone construction. The church is also relevant for hiking, as local walking trails start at its foot. Notre-Dame therefore combines architectural significance with a practical landmark for walking trails.

The Calvary and Other Memorial Sites

The Calvary of Selens is also in the village centre, on a main road, and was built in 1900. Its cast-iron cross is five metres high, and the cast-iron figure of Christ is three metres tall. Together, the two weigh 3,500 kilograms. The cross is therefore two metres taller than the figure. At the ends of the cross are a winged lion, an eagle, a lamb and an angel. The monument can be considered in terms of its scale, material and ornamentation: the height measurements allow you to compare the size of the cross and the figure, while the four motifs describe the cross’s ornamentation. Unlike the church, built from local stone, the focus here is on cast iron and figurative decoration.

The war memorial of Selens stands in the cemetery at the edge of the village. Its location therefore differs from that of Notre-Dame in the heart of the village and the Calvary on a main road in the village centre. The memorial sites are not all in the same area: the church and Calvary are associated with the village centre, while the war memorial is associated with the cemetery at the edge of the village.

Hiking Around Selens

The Circuit d’Albitus et de Bartel walking trail is at the junction of the Ailette and Oise valleys. It passes through forests, cultivated plateaus and small villages across hilly terrain. The route is characterised both by its location at the junction of the valleys and by its varied landscapes. Forests, agricultural uplands, small villages and hilly terrain give you concrete points of reference for understanding the route. The trail passes through several distinct landscapes, offering a different focus from the buildings in the village centre. When choosing Selens for your stay, you can decide whether to give greater weight to its historic village centre or the countryside around the village.

Discover more destinations: Vauxbuin, Liesse-Notre-Dame, Braine, Caulaincourt, Etreaupont, Chézy-Sur-Marne, Saint-Quentin, Parpeville.

Back to the regional travel overview: Aisne.