Bragelogne-Beauvoir

Location

Bragelogne-Beauvoir lies in the south of Champagne, in the Aube département (Grand Est region). The commune belongs to the arrondissement of Troyes and the canton of Les Riceys. Neighbouring villages include Les Riceys, Channes, Molesme, Arthonnay, Bagneux-la-Fosse, Balnot-la-Grange and Vertault. Anyone travelling through the Côte des Bar will almost inevitably pass close by.

The commune covers 23.39 km², with elevations ranging from 214 to 327 metres. As of 1 January 2023 it had 217 inhabitants. The area is rural, with scattered buildings. According to the source, around 77% of the land is used for agriculture, 63.6% of that as arable land. Woodland covers 21.6%, and permanent crops account for 7.4%.

River and climate

The Sarce rises within the commune. It is 30 kilometres long and flows into an arm of the Seine at Virey-sous-Bar. The climate is oceanic and rather cool. Over the years 1971 to 2000 the average annual temperature was 10.5 °C and annual rainfall 835 mm. For the region's winegrowing this is a familiar backdrop: fresh summers, winters you can feel, and often mist in autumn.

“Over the years 1971 to 2000 the average annual temperature was 10.5 °C and annual rainfall 835 mm.

Two villages, one commune

Today's commune was formed in 1973 from Bragelogne and Beauvoir-sur-Sarce. Bragelogne already appears in the 10th century as «Brachenoile». Beauvoir is mentioned in the 12th century as «Grangia de Bello Visu», which can be rendered roughly as «old farm with a fine view».

In the Middle Ages both villages belonged to the fief of Saint Vincent, which depended on the Counts of Tonnerre. Later the lords of Rochefort were the dominant family here. Their castle in Bragelogne, a motte-and-bailey site, is attested in 1317 as a fortified house. In 1360 it was occupied by Anglo-Navarrese troops. It was destroyed under John the Fearless. The deep moats can still be made out, although the site is privately owned. The first charter of liberties for the inhabitants of Bragelogne dates from 1231 and concerned carting services.

Charles Heidsieck Champagner

Sights

• Church of Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens in Bragelogne
• Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (Assomption-de-la-Vierge) in Beauvoir-sur-Sarce
• The moats of the former castle of Bragelogne (seen from the outside, private land)

For champagne lovers

Bragelogne-Beauvoir is neither grand cru nor premier cru, and the source says nothing about individual growers or houses here. The appeal lies elsewhere: the village shows the quiet, rural side of the Aube. Neighbouring Les Riceys is known as a wine village, not least for Rosé des Riceys, a still wine. A drive through the valleys of the Sarce combines nicely with a visit to the growers of the Côte des Bar.