=THE MOUNTAIN OF RHEIMS=
(_See the complete Itineraries on p. 121, and the summary of the war
operations on p. 131._)
[Illustration (Map)]
This part of the Itinerary will take the tourist to the most important
points of the last German offensive of 1918, which aimed at the capture
of Rheims.
_Starting from the Place du Parvis Notre-Dame, take the Rue Libergier,
opposite the Cathedral, turn to the right into the Rue Chanzy, follow
same as far as the Rue de Vesle, take the latter on the left, and follow
it to the end._
_After the_ =Porte de Paris= _(see p. 68) the Rue de Vesle becomes the
Avenue de Paris. Take same, but after passing under the railway bridge,
turn to the left into the Avenue d'Epernay (R. N. 51, see plan, p.
121)._
_Take the second street on the right (Rue de Bezannes), which passes in
front of the_ =Western Cemetery=, devastated by the bombardments.
The road crosses numerous lines of trenches and boyaux, which defended
the immediate approaches to Rheims.
_Before reaching Bezannes village, leave on the right, two roads which
skirt a large estate enclosed with railings, go straight on to the
ruined railway-station of Bezannes, then turn to the right._
=Bezannes=
(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)
_Cross the first group of half-ruined houses, then, on reaching a second
group, which forms the main part of the village, turn to the left into
the first street encountered, where the_ partially destroyed church
_stands_.
The round-vaulted apse, tower, nave and aisles all belong to the
Romanesque period. The Gothic doorway is 13th, and the spire of the
belfry 15th century.
The square tower greatly resembles the old belfry on the doorway of St.
Remi Church in Rheims, and, like the latter, dates apparently from the
middle of the 11th century.
The Gothic doorway of the west front is set up against a Romanesque
wall. The gable has been rebuilt in modern times. Vestiges of an ancient
portal are to be found on each side of the doorway. The key-stones of
the arch above the tympanum, like those of the upper arching, are
numbered in Roman figures, a peculiarity rarely to be found.
Facing the doorway of the church, on the left of the great entrance-door
to a court, is a niche containing a 16th century stone =statue=
representing a bishop wearing a chasuble.
In the court of the same house, over the door of the main structure, on
the right, in an arched Renaissance niche, hollowed out and ornamented
with marble incrustations, is the =statue= of a canon with folded hands
kneeling at the foot of a crucifixion.
A shell-splinter took off the head of the bishop's statue, but the other
group is intact.
Those interested in things pre-historic, may visit the =Pistat
Collection= at Bezannes, which contains a great number of interesting
specimens belonging to the stone and neolithic ages, and to the Gallic
and Roman periods of the region.
Of the old castles of Bezannes, nothing of interest remains.
On September 11, 1914, during the Battle of the Marne, the German Staff
took up their quarters in the house of M. Poullot. On the 12th, the
battle attained the vicinity of the village.
_Skirt the church, and at the cross-roads at the end of the village,
keep straight on, past the cemetery on the right._
[Illustration: CHURCH OF BEZANNES IN 1914]
_The road climbs a small hill lined with trenches, then descends to the
village of_ =Les Mesneux=.
_At the entrance to this village (which is of no particular interest)
turn to the right, and at the fork about fifty yards farther on, to the
left, leaving the unmetalled road on the right._
_About half-a-mile from Les Mesneux and shortly before reaching the
crossing with the road to Rheims (G. C. 6)_, there is a small wood at
the place called =Le Champ Clairon=. It was from here that German
batteries under Colonel von Roeder fired on Rheims on September 4, 1914,
in spite of the protestations of the Mayor of Les Mesneux, who assured
the German commander that the French troops had completely evacuated the
town.
_At the crossing with G. C. 6, keep straight on to Ormes_, whose church,
at the entrance to the village, was almost entirely destroyed.
=Ormes=
(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)
This village, in addition to numerous subterranean passages and
chambers, possesses the interesting 12th century =Church St. Remi=
(_photo below_).
Its circular apse with cornice resting on corbels is barrel-vaulted.
Colonnettes in the great bays of the steeple (in ruins) carry carved
12th century capitals.
The pointed vaulting of the southern transept is 12th century, and the
ogival groining rests on Norman capitals. The doorway of the western
facade dates from the second half of the 12th century, and although its
porch was destroyed in 1853 it is still remarkable.
[Illustration: THE CHURCH OF ORMES]
[Illustration: THE INSIDE OF ORMES CHURCH]
It comprises three tierce-pointed arcades surmounted by a line of
billet-moulding. The lateral arcades are blind, while the higher central
arcading around the door is surmounted with three receding _tori_
resting on crocketed foliate capitals. The lateral arcades have similar
capitals but only one _torus_.
Inside the church are interesting =16th century statues=: _St. Barbara_
in stone and _St. Catharine_, painted and decorated, face the altar;
_St. Remi_ in stone, remarkable for its costume and decoration, stands
above the altar of the northern chapel; a wooden _Virgin_ surmounts the
inner doorway.
[Illustration: ALTAR-SCREEN OF THE CHOIR]
[Illustration: THE ROAD FROM RHEIMS TO JOUY, NEAR THE LATTER VILLAGE
_Note the camouflaging._]
_Return by the same road to the crossing with the road to Rheims (G. C.
6), where, opposite the_ =Cafe du Joyeux Laboureur=, _turn to the
right._
The road rises towards the Mountain of Rheims. Of the _camouflaging_
seen in above photograph, only traces remain.
_Shortly after, the tourist passes between the villages of_ =Jouy= _and_
=Pargny=, _whose houses border the road._ Jouy (_on the left_) and
Pargny (_on the right_) were bombarded by the Germans in June, 1915.
The =Church of Jouy=, visible from the road to Rheims, was almost
entirely destroyed.
_To visit the church of Pargny, turn to the right opposite the grocery
stores, No. 262, then take the second street on the left_ (near a fine
mansion partly in ruins).
_About 100 yards farther on is_ the church, the belfry of which was
destroyed. _Return to the crossing with the main road to Rheims, where
turn to the right._
The road continues to climb the northern slopes of the Mountain of
Rheims. On a hill to the left, the =Chapel of St. Lie= dominates the
surrounding plain. There is a very fine view of Rheims from here.
_The top of the rise is reached soon afterwards. Descend the southern
slopes, passing between the sidings of an_ important material and
ammunition depot situated on the reverse side of the mountain out of
sight of the enemy's observation-posts. _On reaching the crossing
half-way down the hill, leave on the left the two roads leading
respectively to_ =Ville Dommange= _and_ =Courmas=.
_A short distance further on, after passing the road to Onrezy (on the
left), take the following narrow road on the left_, which passes between
clumps of trees that were cut to pieces by shell-fire.
_A little further on, on the right, is a_ cemetery containing the graves
of some two hundred French, British and Italian soldiers.
_Turn to the right after the cemetery._ The road crosses a fine avenue
bordered with shell-torn poplar trees, leading to the =Castle of
Commetreuil= _on the left_. _The village of_ =Bouilly= is reached soon
afterwards.
[Illustration: THE END OF BOUILLY VILLAGE
(_going towards St. Euphraise_).]
=Bouilly--St. Euphraise--Clairizet=
(_See pp. 131-132, and Itinerary, p. 122._)
Bouilly was burnt by the Germans on September 12, 1914, under the
pretext that the inhabitants had caused the death of two _Uhlans_ killed
the day before by French _Chasseurs_.
_Turn to the right opposite the Church of Bouilly._ There is a small
cemetery on the right, just outside the village, containing several
German graves.
_On reaching G.C. 6, leading to Rheims, turn to the right. Take the
first road on the left_, which passes through a small devastated wood,
where batteries of guns were posted. _Cross a small stream, and
immediately afterwards the railway, then turn to the left into the
village of_ =St. Euphraise=.
_Turn to the right in the village, opposite the church._ The road rises
steeply to the hamlet of =Clairizet=, which was almost entirely
destroyed. _Pass by a_ "Calvary," composed of four large trees
surrounding a cross, _then turn to the left into a small narrow street_.
[Illustration: RUINED CHURCH OF ST. EUPHRAISE]
[Illustration: COULOMMES VILLAGE SEEN FROM THE CHURCH]
=Coulommes-la-Montagne--Vrigny=
(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)
_The road rises, then descends to_ =Coulommes-la-Montagne=. _Turn to the
right at the entrance to the village._ The church, in ruins, is on the
left.
_At the cross-roads just outside the village take G.C. 26 on the left.
At first, the road dips rather abruptly, then rises to_ =Vrigny=.
The Church of Vrigny, entirely in ruins, is on the right at the entrance
to the village. _Pass the Town Hall, leaving a public washing-place on
the left, then turn to the right._
_On leaving the village, take G.C. 26 on the left to the village of_
=Gueux=.
[Illustration: RUINS OF THE CHURCH AT VRIGNY]
[Illustration: RUINS OF THE CHURCH OF GUEUX IN 1918]
=Gueux=
(_See pp. 131-132 and Itinerary, p. 122._)
Gueux is a small old-world village, with ancient houses, castle and
church.
At the entrance to the village, a large square with trees, cut to pieces
and devastated by the bombardment.
_From the square, go to the_ =Church= _on the right_, now a heap of
ruins. Seen through the trees from the square it forms a pitiful sight.
In the chapel, on the left of the main entrance, there was a fine piece
of Renaissance carving.
[Illustration: GUEUX CHURCH IN 1917
_Cardinal Lucon coming out of the Church (see above.)_]
It was to Gueux that the Archbishop of Rheims, Mgr. Lucon, betook
himself after the bombardments of April, 1917. The village cemetery
contains many soldiers' graves. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Rheims
presided at a pathetic ceremony held during the War in honour of the
dead.
[Illustration: THE ANCIENT CASTLE OF GUEUX]
_To visit the_ =Castle=, _cross the square and take a small street on
the left, which leads to the road to Rosnay (G.C. 27)_.
_Turn to the left, and fifty yards further on take on foot the narrow
street on the left, which leads to the old castle._
This ancient castle, where the Kings of France, on their way to Rheims
to be consecrated, used to dine, suffered severely from the
bombardments. Outwardly it has, however, retained its general appearance
(_photo above_).
_Return to the car, and go straight on to the fork in the roads to
Rosnay and Premecy. Facing the fork is the entrance_ to the park and
=modern Castle of Gueux=, belonging to the Roederer family, which was
completely destroyed (_photo below_).
_Turn the car round at the above-mentioned fork and continue straight
along G.C. 27._
_Beyond the village of Gueux_ the road crosses numerous lines of
trenches. Many shelters and ammunition depots can still be seen along
the road. _The National Road from Rheims to Soissons (N. 31) is reached
soon afterwards. Near the cross-ways are the_ ruins of an inn.
_At this crossing, leave the National Road on the left and take the
narrow road on the right which leads to_ =Thillois=.
[Illustration: THE MODERN CASTLE OF GUEUX]
[Illustration: CROSSING OF THE THILLOIS AND RHEIMS ROADS]
=Thillois=
(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)
The =Church of Thillois= (late 12th century), now a heap of ruins, stood
at the entrance to the village.
In 1914 it was still intact in all its vital parts. Its vaulting was
pointed, with groining resting on columns, whose capitals were either
Romanesque or Gothic. The nave had a timber roof.
The high-altar screen was a fine piece of sculptured stone-work of late
16th or early 17th century. In a niche above the altar, the Virgin,
sitting on an X-shaped seat, was holding Jesus, clothed in a tunic and
standing on her knee.
_Leaving the church behind on the right, turn to the left, to reach the
National Road. On the right is a_ small 18th century castle, behind a
clump of fine stately trees, known as the _Bosquet de Thillois_. It was
destroyed by shells.
_Return to the National Road, turn to the right at the cross-roads,
leaving on the left the road to Champigny, then return direct to Rheims,
entering the city by the Avenue and Porte de Paris._
=The Mountain of Rheims Battles=
(_See p. 14 and p. 122._)
The fighting known as the _Battles of the Mountain of Rheims_ took place
in 1918 over the whole of the area described above, _i.e._ from Bouilly
to Thillois, _via_ St. Euphraise, Coulommes, Vrigny and Gueux (_see the
Michelin Illustrated Guide: The Second Battle of the Marne_).
The Mountain of Rheims prolongs the region of Tardenois to the east. It
is an important military position between the Vesle and the Marne, as it
dominates the plain of Champagne. The higher part of it is finely
wooded, while on the lower slopes and eastern and southern edges are the
famous Champagne vineyards (_see Verzenay, pp. 171-172_).
[Illustration (Map)]
During the year 1918 the Germans made tremendous efforts to carry this
position, the loss of which would have meant the fall of Rheims, leaving
Epernay and Chalons-sur-Marne unprotected.
Although held to the east of Mountain, they obtained important successes
on the west, where they reached the Marne, while in May they occupied
the Woods of Courton and Le Roi. In July they crossed the Marne and
advanced as far as Montvoisin, on the road to Epernay. Very fierce
fighting took place, especially to the north-west of the Mountain at
=Bouilly=, =Bligny=, =St. Euphraise= and =Vrigny=. These positions, and
Hill 240 to the west of Vrigny, were several times lost and recaptured
by the Allied troops under General Berthelot, French, Italian and
British, who fought there side by side.
Vrigny was taken by the Germans on May 30, but retaken by the Allies on
June 1 at the point of the bayonet. The same evening, four German
regiments, after progressing slightly in the direction of Hill 240, were
first checked, then driven back after bitter hand-to-hand fighting.
On June 9, the Germans were repulsed around Vrigny, after having
sustained severe losses. On the 23rd, they rushed Bligny Hill, held by
Italian troops, reaching the summit, but were shortly afterwards driven
back. On the 29th, they sustained a like check at the same place.
In July they advanced their lines slightly towards Marfaux, Pourcy and
Cuchery, but were unable to hold the captured ground. On the 18th, the
Italians advanced in the region of Bouilly. On the 19th, Franco-British
troops progressed towards St. Euphraise. On the 21st, the Allies carried
Bouilly and St. Euphraise. On the 24th and 25th, in spite of desperate
repeated efforts, the Germans were unable to hold Hill 240 which they
had temporarily captured. On August 1 further enemy efforts to carry
the Bligny uplands failed.
The region of Gueux--Thillois--Champigny was terribly ravaged by the
war.
On September 11th, 1914, the French 5th Division, under General Mangin,
drove the enemy from these positions, which remained in the French lines
until May 30, 1918. Occupied by the Germans on May 31, after fierce
fighting, they were completely devastated by artillery fire. Retaken by
the French, then lost again in July, Thillois was finally recaptured on
August 2, at the same time as Gueux.
On August 4, after having reached the Vesle at several points east of
Fismes, French troops engaged a vigorous battle between Muizon and
Champigny, and some of them succeeded in crossing the river the same
day.
=Champagne Wine=
Wine-growing has always been a favourite industry in this part of
France. The vineyards extend over the Rheims hills and along the valley
of the Marne. In the hilly country around Rheims there are two distinct
growths of wine: the _Montagne_ proper, with its famous _Verzy_,
_Verzenay_, _Mailly_, _Ludes_, _Rilly_ and _Villers_ "crus," and the
_Petite Montagne_ with its secondary "crus" of the _Tardenois Valley_,
_Hermonville Hills_, _St. Thierry_, _Nogent l'Abbesse_ and
_Cernay-les-Reims_. The _Montagne_ produces more especially black grapes
for white wines.
Champagne wines were famous as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries.
Henri IV. had a marked preference for the wines of _Ay_. The magnitude
of the cellars still to be seen in the 16th and 17th century houses
testifies to the importance of a trade, whose main outlets were Paris,
Flanders, Belgium and Germany.
The Champagne wines of that period were red, and rivals of the famous
Burgundy wines.
The vogue of Champagne wines as understood to-day dates back to the end
of the 17th century. It was Dom Perignon, cellarer of the Abbey of
Hautevillers, near Epernay, who, if not actually the inventor of
sparkling wines, first undertook to perfect them by blending the "crus"
and preparing them with greater care.
In the last years of the reign of Louis XIV., and still more so under
the Regency, the use of Champagne at Court gained ground, especially at
the tables of the _Duc de Vendome_ and the _Marquis de Sillery_.
At that time Champagne was merely a "creamy" wine, _i.e._
semi-sparkling. The low breaking strain of the glass of those days would
not have allowed of the higher pressure (six atmospheres) of the
present-day wine. The discovery of the chemist Francois, who in 1836 at
Chalons invented a special "densimeter," made it possible to calculate
the amount of carbonic acid gas contained in the must, and to proportion
the expansive force of the wine to the strength of the bottles, thus
reducing losses by breakage, which for long had been very serious.
From the 19th century onwards, the production of Champagne wine has
grown unceasingly. The number of bottles of sparkling Champagne placed
on the market for sale in France and abroad rose from 19,145,481 (of
which 16,705,719 went abroad) between April, 1875, and April, 1876, to
33,171,395 (of which 23,056,847 went abroad) between April, 1906 and
April, 1907. During the first ten months of 1915, the exports of
Champagne and sparkling wines were 630,140 wine-quarts, as against
1,092,660 wine quarts in 1914.