- Département
- Marne
- Site
- Eastern edge of the Champagne Pouilleuse (dry Champagne), south-west of Vitry-le-François
- Inhabitants
- 244 (2023)
- Source
- Wikipedia, eigene Zusammenfassung
A small commune in the Marne département on the eastern edge of the Champagne Pouilleuse (dry Champagne), south-west of Vitry-le-François. Farmland rather than vines: not a cru, but a place with an eventful history.
Location
Châtelraould-Saint-Louvent lies in the Marne département, on the eastern edge of the Champagne Pouilleuse (dry Champagne), about six kilometres south-west of Vitry-le-François. The commune has 244 inhabitants (2023) and covers 16.87 square kilometres. It is classed as a rural commune with scattered settlement. It includes several isolated farms, among them the Fermes des Perthes, as well as the Château de Beaucamp and a water mill.
Landscape and agriculture
Anyone looking for vineyards here will be disappointed: the village is neither grand cru nor premier cru, and according to the sources, viticulture plays no role. Around 94 per cent of the land is used for agriculture, with arable land alone accounting for 90 per cent. Woodland makes up barely more than 3 per cent. The great growing areas of Champagne lie further north. For wine lovers, this area is really more of a stopover on the way through the south-east of the Marne.
The climate is mild and oceanic in character. At the nearest weather station, in Frignicourt, the annual mean for 1991 to 2020 is 11.5 °C, with rainfall of around 695 millimetres. A full 41.7 °C was recorded there on 25 July 2019, against minus 22 °C in January 1985.
The commune has 244 inhabitants (2023) and covers 16.87 square kilometres.
History
The present commune was formed in 1851 through the merger of Châtelraould and Saint-Louvent. The name Saint-Louvent goes back to a cleric who is said to have lived nearby in the 6th century and who was murdered in 584 on the orders of Queen Brunhilda. The Church venerates him as a saint.
In September 1914 the village lay in the combat zone of the Battle of the Marne. From 5 to 12 September, German and French troops clashed around Châtelraould, Courdemanges, Huiron, Glannes, Frignicourt and Sompuis. In the Second World War the village served as a refuge for Resistance fighters. Jacques de La Fournière, leader of a Resistance group, was arrested together with his son Jean by the Gestapo at the Château de Beaucamp. The father died after torture; the son was released in August 1943.
Sights
- Church of Nativité-de-la-Sainte-Vierge, protected as a monument historique
- Château de Beaucamp, the scene of the 1943 arrest
- Water mill and the surrounding hamlets
The commune is also the birthplace of General Charles Philippe Édouard de Liniers (1805 to 1882). If you want to get to know Champagne away from the famous sites, you will find a quiet agricultural landscape here, easily reached from Vitry-le-François.
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