Chantemerle: Winegrowing and Medieval History

Several themes come together in Chantemerle: winegrowing, medieval history, church architecture and cycling. When planning your stay, you can consider these highlights individually: vineyards and winegrowers, the history of the former abbey, the Église Saint-Serein, and two routes with different details.

Winegrowing in Chantemerle

Chantemerle is part of the Côte des Blancs and the Sézannais terroir. These two designations place the area within the region’s winegrowing landscape. Twelve winegrowing businesses cultivate a total of 33.30 hectares of vineyards here. Of this, 30.30 hectares are planted with Chardonnay and 3.00 hectares with Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay area is more than ten times as large as the area planted with Pinot Noir, so the distribution of vineyard area is clearly dominated by Chardonnay. The total area, varietal shares and number of businesses provide different ways to understand local winegrowing. Winegrowing statistics may change over time.

Abbey history and the Église Saint-Serein

At the beginning of the 12th century, the former abbey was run by Augustinian Canons Regular. A document from 1173 names Grégoire as abbot of Saint-Serein de Chantemerle. It was issued in Chantemerle, in the abbey’s chapter house. This historical reference therefore focuses both on a person named along with his office and on a specific place of issue. In 1683, the former abbey was united with the Abbey of Saint-Loup in Troyes. These dates mark different milestones: a medieval document and a later institutional connection with Troyes.

The Église Saint-Serein can also be described through specific architectural features. It faces north; its rectangular nave ends in a flat chancel. The nave is the elongated main space of a church, while the chancel is the architectural end of the choir. In Chantemerle, this end is described as flat, not rounded. In clear weather, the landscape as far as Troyes can be seen from the heights of Chantemerle. The view therefore depends on visibility conditions.

Cycling route and tourist route

The Les coteaux du Sézannais cycling route passes through Chantemerle and is designated as an easy circular route. It is 34.5 kilometres long and takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Its circular format, difficulty rating, distance and approximate duration answer different planning questions: whether you are looking for a loop, how long it is and roughly how much time to allow. The route is also associated with cultural and historical heritage, geology and flora. Conditions and signage may change; check them before setting off.

The Route touristique du Champagne passes through La Celle-sous-Chantemerle, Chantemerle, Bethon and Montgenost, heading towards the southwestern end of the Coteaux Sézannais. The two routes can be distinguished by the features described: for the cycling route, the circular format, difficulty, length and approximate duration are given. The Route touristique names the places it passes through and a direction. This lets you decide whether your planning should focus mainly on the specific details of a cycling route or on the sequence of places and regional course of this tourist route.

Discover more destinations: Taissy, Chigny-Les-Roses, Dormans, Les Mesneux, Ambonnay, Saint-Martin-D'ablois, Saint-Brice-Courcelles, Vauclerc

Go to the regional travel overview: Marne.