Close to Chalons-en-Champagne (which used to be sur-Marne until the media men decided to change the town's image!) lies a very beautiful church with a chequered history; Notre Dame de l'Epine:-
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| Notre Dame de l'Epine Our Lady of the Thorn
This magnificent church dates from the 15thc and has the most wonderful collection of gargoyles.
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And the reason for the left hand tower being shorter than the right is because in 1798 it was dismantled so that Napoleon could have a Chappe telegraph
built in its place!
see the link http://telegraphe-chappe.com/chappe/strasb/lepine/lepine.html for pictures and the full history in French
The communication system fell into disuse in 1852 and in 1868 Napoleon III paid to have the tower rebuilt.
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