Saint-Benoît-en-Woëvre – Village and Abbey
The small village of Saint-Benoît-en-Woëvre is situated at the intersection of the D 904 (Thiaucourt – Verdun) and the D 901 (St. Mihiel – Gorze), which has been important for trade for centuries. At the northern edge of the village are the noteworthy remains of a monastery/palace complex. During the First World War, this housed a military hospital and higher German command posts and was of major strategic importance.
Saint-Benoît developed from the early Middle Ages around a Benedictine monastery founded in 1128, which received the Latin name “Sanctus Benedictus in Vepria“. As early as 1132, the complex passed into the possession of the Cistercians from the Abbey of La Crète in Bourdons-sur-Rognon, who operated it until the mid-18th century and gradually acquired a large number of the surrounding agricultural estates. Thus, among others, the still-existing farmsteads of Hazavant-Ferme north of Saint-Benoît and Ansoncourt-Ferme near Limey-Remenauville belonged to it, as well as the estate further north around Château de Puxe. In the mid-18th century, the old monastery complex was demolished and rebuilt a bit further east. In the turmoil of the French Revolution, the monastery was partially destroyed and dissolved in 1791. In the following decades, it changed hands several times. Among others, it was acquired by the family of the later French President Raymond Poincaré, who established a luxurious residence there.
The complex experienced German soldiers for the first time during the Franco-Prussian War. Cavalry units of the XII Royal Saxon Army Corps, which had crossed the Moselle at Pont-à-Mousson on August 11, 1870, occupied Saint-Benoît as early as August 15, 1870, and quartered in the palace. On August 18, 1870, the Meuse crossing near Bannoncourt was captured, and the complex remained under the control of the Saxons for a few weeks.
Units of the XII Corps were involved in the battles of Mars-la-Tour and St. Privat. Parts of the corps were also detached to form the Army of the Meuse, which, together with other units, was to besiege the fortress of Metz and prevent French troops under Marshal Patrice de Mac-Mahon from relieving the French Army of the Rhine located in the city. In the further course of the war, the XII Corps was also involved in the Siege of Paris.
At the beginning of the fighting in the area of the Saint-Mihiel salient from September 1914, Saint-Benoît witnessed the advance of the III. Bayerisches Armee-Korps (III Bavarian Corps) starting from the Fortress of Metz through the Woëvre Plain. The objective was the capture of the Côtes Lorraines, the taking of the Meuse forts and the city of Saint-Mihiel. Initially, Saint-Benoît Castle was used only for the quartering of passing troop units. Due to its strategically favorable location, it subsequently accommodated various command posts of the German Army throughout the entire course of the war until September 1918, most notably from September 21, 1914, the general command of the III. Bayerisches Armeekorps under General Ludwig Freiherr von Gebsattel. The general command remained in Saint-Benoît until the transfer of the corps to the Flanders Front in July 1916. Many photographs exist from the time of its presence. Frequent visits by high state and military leaders, such as the Bavarian King Ludwig III, the German Crown Prince Wilhelm, and the German Emperor Wilhelm II, provided suitable motifs.
After the withdrawal of the III. Bayerisches Armeekorps (III Bavarian Corps) in July 1916, Saint-Benoît-en-Woëvre remained quarters and command post for a wide variety of units that were deployed in the St. Mihiel salient. The château was remodeled in many areas, among other things the vaulted cellars were made bulletproof by concrete reinforcements. The field hospital already established at the beginning of the war was steadily expanded and ultimately occupied one of the three building wings.
South of the village, just west of today’s D 904 toward Beney-en-Woëvre, a station for the military standard-gauge railroad coming from Metz was established at the end of 1914, which supplied the troops stationed in the southern and southwestern parts of the salient. Apart from a bunker west of the D 904 and sporadically visible traces of the route in the area of the “le Grand Essart” forest, no significant remains of the facility are left. Near the former location of the St. Benoît station, the TGV/ICE line toward Paris runs today.
From mid-August 1918, a major Allied offensive began to loom in the area of the St. Mihiel salient. Since February 1918, Château Saint-Benoît had housed the general command of the 19. Königlich-Sächsisches Armee-Korps (XIX Corps), whose units were deployed in the southern area of the salient. As early as the end of 1916, a chord position had been constructed, which was to be occupied within a few days in the event of the abandonment of the salient. The position was named Michel position, and the planned withdrawal operation was called the Loki Movement. When the Allied attack began to take concrete shape in early September 1918, the Loki Movement was initiated. However, the Allied attack unexpectedly began as early as September 12, 1918. The German units still managed to occupy the Michel position. During the disorderly retreat, however, large quantities of artillery, ammunition reserves, and other supplies were lost. In addition, hundreds of German soldiers surrendered to the Allied troops.
Saint-Benoît lay within the sector of the 42. US Infanterie-Division, which was called the “Rainbow Division”. For the start of the attack on September 12, 1918, an advance to north of Hazavant-Ferme and the establishment of a defensive position there had been ordered. On September 13, 1918, units of the 165. US Infanterie-Regiments reached Saint-Benoît almost without a fight. The regiment had emerged from the New York 69th Infantry Regiment and had many members of Irish descent. The US troops found the château deserted. According to various reports, the German troops had set fires before their withdrawal and placed explosives that had not detonated, however. The fire was extinguished by the American soldiers, and in particular, the essential furnishings of the former monastery church are said to have been saved from the flames.
From September 14–30, 1918, the regiment occupied its positions in the area of Hazavant-Ferme. Further attacks were not ordered, since the Americans had not expected such a rapid advance and first had to bring up their reserves and artillery. Château Saint-Benoît became the headquarters of the 84th Infantry Brigade. The unit was part of the 42nd US Infantry Division and was under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who became famous during World War II. As the youngest brigadier general in the American army at 38 years of age, MacArthur had taken command of the unit in July 1918. He deliberately chose Château Saint-Benoît as his command post, although it lay only a few kilometers behind the front lines of his troops. Various photographs of MacArthur exist showing him posing in Château Saint-Benoît. Beginning on October 1, 1918, the unit was relieved and transported out by elements of the 89th US Infantry Division, which held the attack sector adjacent to the east. The Rainbow Division was deployed in the area of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in the Argonne from October 1918 onward.
Today, only parts of the west wing, including the central facade, remain of the former main building of the château. Above the portal of the western facade, the coat of arms of the former monastery is preserved in the gable. The main altar of the former chapel is now located in the Church of Saint-Étienne in Saint-Mihiel, and two smaller altars are in the church of the village of Dampvitoux. In the ruins of the complex, various modifications from the period of German use can be recognized, such as concrete-reinforced cellar vaults as well as additional concrete installations. When the complex was ultimately destroyed cannot be stated with absolute certainty. Available sources indicate that the Château Saint-Benoît also housed command authorities of the German Wehrmacht during World War II and was destroyed in 1944 during fighting with advancing American troops. On the other hand, French postcards from the 1920s can be found that already show the complex in a massively destroyed state.
The complex is located on private property and may only be entered with the permission of the owner. Entering the ruin is life-threatening!
were AI-edited (notice pursuant to Art. 50 Regulation (EU) 2024/1689).