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Origin and history

The church Saint-Didier d'Essigny-le-Petit is located in the village of the same name, in the department of Aisne, in the region Hauts-de-France. This village, crossed by the Somme and the laughter of the Noirieux, is mentioned for the first time in 1155 under the name of Essigni in a cartular of the Abbey of Bomblières. His spelling evolved over the centuries, passing through Petit-Essigny on the map of Cassini in the 18th century, before adopting his current name in the 19th century.

During the First World War, Essigny-le-Petit, occupied by the Germans in August 1914, served as a rear base until 1918. In September 1918, the village was the scene of violent fighting between the Anglo-French and German troops, causing significant destruction, including those suffered by the church. After the Armistice, the commune, whose population had been evacuated, received the War Cross 1914-1918 in 1920 for the suffering endured.

The village, today rural and with 345 inhabitants (2023), preserves the traces of this tumultuous past. The church Saint-Didier, although not dated precisely in the sources, embodies this local heritage marked by conflicts. The commune is part of the attraction area of Saint Quentin and the canton of Saint Quentin-2, in an agricultural territory and crossed by historical infrastructures such as the Saint Quentin Canal.

The map of Cassini from the 18th century shows an Essigny-le-Petit (then Petit-Essigny) located on the left bank of the Somme, with a wooden bridge allowing to cross the river. This cartographic document attests to the old configuration of the village, before the transformations related to wars and industrialisation, such as the railway line from Creil to Jeumont, inaugurated in 1855.

The local, degraded oceanic climate and the surrounding streams (Sum, Black-strip) shaped the landscape and agricultural activities. The High Somme Water Management Scheme (SAGE), approved in 2017, now oversees the hydraulic management of this territory marked by its complex hydrographic network.

Finally, Saint Didier church is part of a communal context where monuments to the dead remind the 14 soldiers and 4 civilians victims of conflict. This memorial and religious heritage reflects the resilience of a rural community after the Great War.

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