Part 9

_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=.

=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_).

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.

FIRST DAY

AFTERNOON

=ST. THIERRY HEIGHTS--LE GODAT--THE GLASS-WORKS OF LOIVRE--BRIMONT--THE "CAVALIERS DE COURCY"=

(_See complete Itineraries, p. 121, and summary of the military operations, pp. 147 and 154._)

_Starting from the Place du Parvis-Notre-Dame, follow the morning's Itinerary (p. 122) as far as the railway bridge, then continue straight along the Avenue de Paris (N. 31). Before leaving Rheims the tourist can, if desired, visit_ =Haubette Park=. _In this case, turn to the left, opposite No. 10, Avenue de Paris, into the Rue Flin des Oliviers. The entrance to_ Haubette Park (an annex of the Calmette Dispensary) _stands at the beginning of this street, on the right_.

Napoleon I. bivouacked in this park while his troops attacked Rheims in 1814. A monument and a small museum commemorate the event. At the end of 1914 Haubette Park was a favourite recreation ground and refuge for the inhabitants of the city during the bombardments.

_Return to the junction of N. 31 (which leads to Fismes) with G. C. 6 (the road to Ville-en-Tardenois). Take N. 31 on the right. About 1 km. from the fork take the first road on the right._

_On reaching_ =Tinqueux= _turn to the left at the entrance to the village, and follow the main road_.

=Tinqueux--Mont St. Pierre=

The church of Tinqueux (St. Peter's) was entirely destroyed. It contained, on the left side of the nave, a remarkable 16th century painting on wood, representing the _Adoration of the Shepherds_, with a frame of the same period.

_Near the church, between the Vesle and the main street of the village_, stood an old baronial mansion, in front of which was a building with turreted facade known as the =Maison de la Salle=. Inside the buildings which, in later years, served as a farm, there was a curious old wooden staircase with railed balustrade. The whole was destroyed by the shells.

In September, 1914, at the beginning of the bombardment of Rheims, many of the people took refuge at Tinqueux.

_At the end of the main street of the village, opposite a kind of observation-post with ladder in a tree, turn to the right. The road passes at the foot of_ =Mont St. Pierre=, whose village and church entirely disappeared in the 17th century. It was to replace the church of Mont St. Pierre that the church of St. Pierre de Tinqueux was built at the end of the 17th century.

_The road turns abruptly and nears the Vesle. Turn to the right and cross the river to reach_ =St. Brice=.

=St. Brice--Champigny--Merfy=

(_Itinerary, p. 134._)

_Turn to the right at the entrance to the village and take the first street on the right, which leads to the church._

The Church of St. Brice was almost entirely destroyed. In style, it is Romanesque, with Renaissance doorway and aisles. The door of the west front contains interesting carvings--unhappily much mutilated.

_Return by the same way to the cross-roads in front of the bridge over the Vesle, turn to the right, then, about 150 yards further on, to the left. Continue straight ahead, cross the railway (l.c.) and follow the railway on the left._

_About half a mile further on an avenue on the right leads to the_ =Chateau de la Malle=. Both the castle and grounds were badly damaged by the bombardment.

Standing in the park with magnificent avenues of beech-trees, the castle is one of the most ancient manors in the vicinity of Rheims. It was rebuilt in one storey at the beginning of the 14th century on the old foundations. The decoration of the interior (Louis XVI.) is interesting. The drawing-room has retained its old wainscoting and paintings. A carved shield bearing the arms of the Cauchon family, a member of which, the Bishop of Beauvais, sided with the English and the Duke of Burgundy against the Dauphin of France and Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War, is still to be seen over a door of one of the out-buildings.

_Return by the same road to the Vesle. Cross the river and follow it (as per Itinerary, p. 134), to the village of Champigny._

_Cross straight through the village by the main street, at the end of which stands the church in a narrow by-street near the entrance to a park (photo, p. 136)._

The little church of St. Theodule is 12th century, except the wooden belfry, which was modern. The belfry and roof were destroyed.

_On leaving the village, go straight ahead. The road (G.C. 75) follows the railway on the left. Cross the railway (l.c.). The road passes along the marshy valley of the Vesle, then rises towards the_ St. Thierry Heights.

_At the cross-roads of_ the hamlet of Maco, _keep straight on along G.C. 26_. The road runs between two fairly high embankments containing numerous shelters. Slightly before entering the village of =Merfy= is a cemetery containing graves of French, British and German soldiers.

_At the entrance to the same village, on the right, stands_ a castle, severely damaged, which, early in September, 1914, served as headquarters to General Foch (_photo above_).

_A little farther_ is the church, almost entirely destroyed.

_At the church, turn to the right and follow the main street_, which is lined with houses in ruins.

_On leaving Merfy, cross the railway (l.c.). The village of_ =St. Thierry= _is reached shortly afterwards._

=St. Thierry=

(_See Itinerary, p. 134, summary of the Military Operations, p. 147._)

This village was frequently bombarded by the Germans from 1914 to 1918. _It is crossed by a narrow, winding street containing several sharp turnings. Shortly before the end of the village, the street widens abruptly. About a hundred yards further on is the church, while on the right a monumental door gives access_ to the =Chateau of St. Thierry= (_photos, p. 138_).

This castle was built in 1777 by Mgr. de Talleyrand-Perigord, Archbishop of Rheims. It replaced the ancient abbey founded in the 6th century by St. Thierry, a disciple of St. Remi. Remains of the 12th century chapter-house ogives, colonnettes and capitals, as well as an old chimney-piece, have been rebuilt into the kitchens. The spacious Louis XVI. drawing-room and the dining-room were likewise remarkable.

The church (_see photos above and on p. 140_) possessed certain remarkable features, _e.g._ the porch, nave and organ-loft. The 12th century porch had a 17th century pent-house roof.

Inside the church were Gothic stalls, and a 16th century bas-relief depicting _The Martyrdom of St. Quentin_.

The church is now in ruins.

_Opposite the castle gate turn to the left into G.C. 26._

In the embankments along the road are numerous shelters, posts of commandment, ammunition depots, etc.

=Thil--Villers-Franqueux=

(_See Itinerary, p. 134._)

_On reaching Thil, turn to the left at the entrance to the village. Go straight through._

The church, entirely in ruins, _stands at the end of the village, on a small eminence to the right_.

_Half-way through the village, on the left, is a road which leads to the St. Thierry Fort, via the village of Pouillon._

The road from Thil to Cormicy was the starting-point of the communicating trenches which led to the first lines along the National Road No. =44= and along the canal from the Aisne to the Marne, during the long stabilisation period of the Berry-au-Bac--Rheims front. All along the road can still be seen, practically intact, the military works which were in the immediate rear of the front lines, viz., posts of commandment, depots, shelters, etc. At the present time, close to the destroyed villages, these shelters are being used by the people as habitations.

_Beyond Thil, the road passes between two embankments._ =Villers-Franqueux= _is soon reached_. The ruined village and church _are somewhat to the right_.

=Hermonville=

_Follow the rails, straight ahead, to_ Hermonville.

_Turn to the left, at the entrance to the village, into the large square, on the opposite side of which stands the_ =Town Hall=, partially destroyed. The =Church= _is on the right_.

This remarkable church is 12th century. The pointed vaulting of the nave was raised in 1870, but this had been provided for in the original plans. At the intersection of the transept the pointed vaulting is lower. The capitals with their finely carved palm-leaves appear to be rather more recent than those of the nave, and extend frieze-like round the pillars. The bays of the transept-arms and of the two square eastern chapels are round-arched and surmounted with a quatrefoil--an arrangement frequently met with in the vicinity of Rheims.

The outer porch, like that of Cauroy-les-Hermonville and St. Thierry, is a 12th century addition. The depressed arch of the entrance is 17th century.

The square tower at the corner of the nave and south transept has cubic capitals in the twin bays of the second storey.

The ancient =cemetery=, which used to surround the church, is bordered by old houses. Entrance was gained by a little gate facing the porch, in which are incrusted fragments of a 15th century altar-screen representing a horseman and a group of persons.

The village was frequently bombarded by the Germans after the Battle of the Marne. In 1916 several inhabitants were killed by shells.

_Leave the church on the right, and follow the Rue Sebastopol, at the end of which is an abrupt turning to the left. The road skirts a large house and garden surrounded by a wall. At the end of the latter, turn to the right into the Rue de Sommerville. On leaving the village, turn to the left, then go straight on to_ =Cauroy-les-Hermonville=.

=Cauroy-les-Hermonville=

_Turn to the right at the entrance to the village, then into the first street on the left, where stands the_ half-destroyed =Church of Notre-Dame=.

This Church (_historical monument_) has an original 12th century porch, which was mutilated by the bombardments.

Romanesque in style, it stands out from the remainder of the building and extends over the whole breadth of the west front. Its tile-covered roof rests on a timber-work frame, whose beams appear to be 16th century. Two round-arched openings in the ends of the porch serve as entrances. The front is pierced with a number of round arcades. The central door giving access to the church is of a later date (16th or 17th century). The capitals of the arcadings are 12th century. Their curious decoration represents figures of men, animals, birds, scrolls, etc.

The ruined tower and nave were likewise 12th century. The side-chapels, transept-crossing and choir were rebuilt in the 16th century.

In the interior of the church, the wooden altar-screen over the high-altar dated from 1616. The painting which decorated its central panel, and the side woodwork of the choir were removed in 1888. The altar-screen (1547) of the southern side-chapel was composed of an assemblage of stone statues representing _The Virgin carrying Jesus, St. Roch, a pilgrim_, and _St. Stephen, a deacon, with the donor kneeling at his feet_.

Under several of the houses in the village are subterranean passages, the most noteworthy being that under the old presbytery on the left of the church, to which access is gained by a stair of fifty-one steps.

_Leave the village of Cauroy by the street (photo, p. 145) which opens up opposite the church._

_The road passes through clumps of_ devastated trees. _On the left side of the road is_ a cemetery, containing numerous well-organised shelters. _The village of_ =Cormicy= _is next reached._

=Cormicy=

(_See Itinerary, p. 134._)

_Turn to the right at the entrance to the village. On either side are_ tree-lined boulevards, which were made on the ancient ramparts. The trees have been cut to pieces by the shells.

Cormicy was formerly a small fortified town with turret, gates, ramparts and moats, all of which have disappeared except one gate. The site was planted with trees, which surround practically the whole town. The town was destroyed in the time of Charles VI., during the Hundred Years' War.

The present village suffered severely during the German bombardments, most of the houses being damaged. In June, 1916, only eighty-three inhabitants remained in their homes.

The ancient =Church= was likewise badly damaged (_photos above and below_). While the tower, west front, and the two first bays of the nave are late 15th or early 16th century, the greater part of the nave is 11th or 12th century. The chevet and the transept-crossing are early 13th century, while the transept ends probably date from the middle of 12th century.

The portal comprises twin doors surmounted with a broad flamboyant recess. The doors have been partially mutilated. Above the window runs a balcony, the Gothic balustrade of which, known as the _Gloria Gallery_, was modern. This balustrade was destroyed by the bombardments, which also brought down the steeple.

The west front has two Gothic doors with 16th century iron-work, at the extremity of the aisles. The tympana of these doors, formerly lighted, have been bricked up. The lintels have three consoles ornamented with fantastic animals and banderoles. The three statues which carried the consoles have long since disappeared.

In the south transept, on the left, behind the altar, is an interesting small door surmounted with a square lintel of the 11th or 12th century. Two figures of winged monsters with heads of a man and a woman and fish tails, stand out in high relief, framed and separated by a belt, on which are carved _florets_ mingled with fantastic figures.

The three remarkable 18th century marble altars of the choir and transept chapels come from the Church of the Nuns of Longueau, the abbey of which, in the Rue du Jard at Rheims, was sold in 1790. The high-altar occupies nearly the whole of the chancel. Over the tomb, six columns of grey Dinant marble, crowned with Corinthian capitals, support an oval marble cornice with richly carved and gilt consoles of wood. The very large, white and gilt tabernacle is a fine example of 17th or 18th century woodwork. Its door, decorated with symbolic attributes, is surrounded by statuettes depicting, _in the lower part_, St. John the Evangelist and a holy woman wearing crowns; _above each of these figures_, an angel; _at the top_, The Resurrection of Christ.

The sixteen carved oak stalls of the choir, as well as the wrought-iron reading-desk on a marble pedestal, also came from the former Abbey of Longueau.

Near the choir, on a pillar of the nave, is an inscription to the effect that the chronicler _Flodoard_, who died in 966, was _Cure_ of Cormicy.

The modern =Town Hall=, built by the Rheims architect, Gosset the elder, which faced the church, was entirely destroyed.

All the places visited since leaving Merfy, _i.e._ St. Thierry, Thil, Villers-Franqueux, Hermonville and Cormicy, border the St. Thierry Heights. The latter are commanded by the fort of the same name and the Chenay Redoubt, with altitudes of about 670 and 620 feet respectively. They were recaptured from the Germans after the Battle of the Marne on September 11, 1914, by the French 3rd Corps.

After the loss of the Chemin-des-Dames and the Aisne Canal on May 27, 1918, this position, which with its guns commands the road and railway from Rheims to Soissons and the road from Rheims to Laon, remained the sole protection of Rheims to the north-west.