Bavay

Bavay is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies 15 m. ESE of Valenciennes by railway.
Under the name of Bagacum or Bavacum, the town was the capital of the Nervii and, under the Roman Empire, an important center of roads, the meeting-place of which was marked by a milestone, destroyed in the 17th century and replaced in the 19th century by a column. Bavay was destroyed during the barbarian invasions and never recovered its old importance. It suffered much during the wars of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. One of the Roman highways connected Bavay to Tongeren via the relay of Liberchies, and later on continued to Cologne.