Châtillon-sur-Marne

Above the Marne valley

Châtillon-sur-Marne lies in the west of the Marne département, about 18 kilometres west of Épernay and roughly 36 kilometres from Reims. The village sits on a spur between 120 and 170 metres above sea level, looking south over the Marne and east towards the smaller valley of the Belval stream. To the north-west the Bois de Châtillon begins. The commune covers 1,169 hectares and ranges in height from 63 to 245 metres. The hamlet of Montigny also belongs to Châtillon.

Administratively, the village is part of the arrondissement of Épernay and the canton of Dormans-Paysages de Champagne. Dormans is only 13 kilometres away. The commune also lies within the Montagne de Reims Regional Nature Park.

Vines, fields and woodland

Châtillon-sur-Marne is neither a Grand Cru nor a Premier Cru village. Even so, farming shapes the landscape: according to Corine Land Cover, around 74 per cent of the land was agricultural in 2018. Arable land accounts for 39.3 per cent and permanent crops for 25 per cent. In Champagne, that mostly means vineyards. A further 22.8 per cent is woodland.

“Even so, farming shapes the landscape: according to Corine Land Cover, around 74 per cent of the land was agricultural in 2018.

The climate is oceanic. For 1971 to 2000 the source gives an average annual temperature of 10.6 °C and about 735 millimetres of rainfall a year. For wine lovers that means cool, moderate conditions, typical of Champagne.

History

The village is the ancestral seat of the House of Châtillon. A charter of 940 mentions a castle on the Marne, held by one Heriveus, nephew of a former archbishop. Pope Urban II is also linked with Châtillon, as he came from the village. On 1 March 2006 part of the commune's territory was detached and has since formed the separate commune of Cuisles.

Things to see

• Ruins of the medieval motte
• Church of Notre-Dame
• National cemetery
• Statue of Pope Urban II

The Marne itself plays a special part here: the commune is home to a hydrological gauging station on the river. During the flood of 29 January 2018, the daily average there reached 497 cubic metres per second.

Practical information

Châtillon-sur-Marne has 625 inhabitants (as at 1 January 2023) and is rural, with scattered housing. If you are exploring the Marne valley, you reach the village by the D1, which follows the river between Dormans and Châlons-en-Champagne. It makes a quiet stopover away from the big champagne towns.