Ablain-Saint-Nazaire

Ablain-Saint-Nazaire
Ruins of the church destroyed during World War I Ruins of the church destroyed during World War I
Coat of arms of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire Coat of arms
Ablain-Saint-Nazaire
Location within Nord-Pas-de-Calais region Ablain-Saint-Nazaire
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardy
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Arras
Canton	Vimy
Intercommunality	Lens-Liévin
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Dominique Robillart
Area1	9.85 km2 (3.80 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	1,828
• Density	190/km2 (480/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	62001 / 62153
Elevation	77–188 m (253–617 ft) (avg. 95 m or 312 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Ablain-Saint-Nazaire is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.

Geography

A farming village located 8 miles (12 km) north of Arras, on the D57 road. It was rebuilt after being destroyed during World War I. The Saint-Nazaire stream, which passes through the commune, is a small tributary of the river Deûle.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	1,295	—
1968	1,293	−0.2%
1975	1,388	+7.3%
1982	1,482	+6.8%
1990	1,715	+15.7%
1999	1,843	+7.5%
2005	1,890	+2.6%
2009	1,828	−3.3%

History

At the start of World War I, the Battle of Lorette lasted for 12 months, from October 1914 to October 1915, resulting in high casualties on both sides: 100,000 killed and as many wounded. A French national cemetery was built on 13 hectares nearby and comprises 20,000 graves, laid out irrespective of rank or military training. General Barbot has a private soldier buried next to him, on his right. In eight ossuaries, around the base of the lantern tower, are the remains of 22,970 unidentified soldiers. A portion of the cemetery has been reserved for Muslim soldiers.

Sights

• The church of St. Pierre, dating from the twentieth century.
• The ruins of the fifteenth century church, destroyed in World War I.
• The war museum.

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• The Communauté d'Agglomération of Lens-Liévin (French)
• Official website of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire (French)
• Ablain-Saint-Nazaire on the Quid website (French)