"The Henriville neighbourhood is definitely my neighbourhood. I stayed in this area from September 1873, when I bought the house at 44 Longueville Boulevard, and later in the large house on Rue Charles-Dubois, until 1905.
In 1875, in An Ideal City, where I imagine finding myself in an Amiens of the future, I saw Rue Lemerchier extend as far as the eye can see with a long series of beautiful houses, where just the day before it had been the countryside! It was as if an entire neighbourhood had sprung up there, with its homes and its churches. And today, that is the case!
Though my activities most often take me to the centre of Amiens, I also like to walk around this neighbourhood or visit friends who live there."
Jules Verne was able to see the construction of the church of Saint-Martin between 1869 and 1874, based on the plans drawn up by Amiens architect Louis Henry Antoine. The building is located in this neighbourhood of Henriville, on a square surrounded by trees and houses.
It is in this church that Jules Verne’s funeral was held on 28 March 1905, amid a crowd of celebrities and the public who came to pay tribute to him.
