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Origin and history

The church Saint-Laurent de Neuville-sur-Margival is located in the commune of the same name, in the department of Aisne, in the region Hauts-de-France. Although its exact period of construction is not mentioned, the village was first mentioned in 1289 under the Latin name Novilla-de-super-Margival. The map of Cassini, dated from the 18th century, reveals that at that time Neuville-sur-Margival was an isolated parish, with a chapel to the south, now extinct. The village, built on a network of caves (caverns dug to protect itself or extract the stone), was completely destroyed during the First World War, especially after the blasting of these galleries by the Germans in March 1917.

During World War I, Neuville-sur-Margival was occupied by the German army as early as August 1914, serving as a rear base during the Battle of Crouy in January 1915. After the German withdrawal on the Hindenburg line, the French took over the village on 27 March 1917, but the ruins remained close to the front until the final release on 5 September 1918. The village, considered destroyed, received the War Cross 1914-1918 in 1920. Its population, which increased from 135 in 1911 to less than half in 1921, illustrates the extent of human and material losses.

During World War II, Neuville-sur-Margival was integrated into the German Wolfsschlucht II (W2) project, a Hitlerian headquarters built between 1942 and 1944 to prepare for the invasion of Britain. Located near the Soissons-Laon railway, this military complex led to the evacuation of the inhabitants in 1944. After the war, the site was used by NATO and then by the French army as a commando training centre. Today, the remnants of this abandoned camp are being developed by local associations.

The St. Lawrence Church, although not detailed in the sources, is part of this troubled historical context. The village, rebuilt after 1918, retains the stigma of the two world conflicts, with a local memory marked by destruction, military occupation and successive reconstructions. The village, rural and sparsely populated (116 inhabitants in 2023), remains linked to the military history of the region, between religious heritage and remains of the twentieth century.

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