Last modified: 2026-01-31 by olivier touzeau
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![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-59-hm.gif)
Flag of Hautmont - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 13 December 2025
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Hautmont (14,197 inhabitants, 1,227 ha) is a commune in the Nord department.
The history of the town of Hautmont begins with the history of the Abbey of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Count Madelgaire, ambassador of King Dagobert, and better known as Saint Vincent, began its construction in 643 on a site called "Altus Mons". Monks from Ireland soon came to live there. With over 300 members, it was one of the most important abbeys in the Merovingian kingdom and is said to have received prestigious visitors such as Charlemagne. From the 11th century onward, Benedictine monks occupied it until 1791, when they were forced into exile. Its golden age was reached in the 16th century under Abbot Gaspard Hanot and lasted until the French Revolution. Unlike many others, the abbey was not completely destroyed during the French Revolution, thanks to Dom Ghuislain Dusart who, on July 28, 1789, managed to calm the peasants who had come to plunder and destroy the abbey. Dom Ghuislain, upon opening the gates, asked them to respect the site and offered them the food they requested. During the July Monarchy, in 1843, the new factory of the Société Anonyme des laminoirs, forges, fonderies et usines de la Providence (Rolling Mills, Forges, Foundries and Factories Providence Company) was established in Hautmont.
During the First World War, the town was in the zone occupied by German troops. The town of Hautmont was liberated on November 8, 1918. On November 8, 1918, British troops entered the Hautmont woods. Throughout the day, the town was wrested from the enemy. The fort was recaptured during the night.
On August 3, 2008, the Val-de-Sambre tornado of 2008, a tornado of at least category F3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, possibly F4, struck the town, killing 3 people and injuring 18. It caused extensive damage throughout the town and its surroundings, with 700 homes damaged, 200 of which were rendered uninhabitable.
Olivier Touzeau, 13 December 2025
The flag is white with the current coat of arms. Below the arms are listed the Department (Nord), the Arrondissement (sub-prefectoral divisions within a department, here Avesnes-sur-Helpe) and "French Republic". Photo (2009), photo (2022).
From the official municipal website:
The coat of arms of the town of Hautmont, established in 2004, is based on the arms of Gaspar Hanot, the illustrious 16th-century abbot.
It consists of a black shield adorned with chevrons, a mural crown, laurel and olive branches, and the Croix de Guerre, a symbol of courage recognized in 1921.
Black shield with chevrons: taken from Gaspar Hanot's coat of arms, signifying the historical continuity of the abbey.
Red and yellow colors: red for ardor, yellow for the town's prestige.
Mural crown: evokes the Hautmont fort and the municipal defense system under the Third Republic (a previous replacement of religious symbols).
Laurel and olive branches: symbols of valor and glory (laurel) and of a desire for peace (olive).
War Cross: integrated into the shield in recognition of the title awarded in 1921 for courage during the First World War.
Nota: the traditional arms of Hautmont were the arms of the abbey, blazoned: Or, 3 chevrons sable.
Olivier Touzeau, 13 December 2025