Gionges

Gionges is a small village in the Marne département and was an independent commune until the end of 2017. On 1 January 2018 it joined Oger, Vertus and Voipreux to form the commune nouvelle of Blancs-Coteaux. The name recalls the white-wine slopes of the Côte des Blancs, on whose edge Gionges lies.

Location

Gionges lies about 38 kilometres south of Reims, at an altitude of roughly 207 metres. It used to belong to the canton of Vertus-Plaine Champenoise in the arrondissement of Épernay. The commune consisted of two settlements: the village of Gionges itself, around the church, and the hamlet of Fulaine Saint-Quentin, whose church of the same name is no longer in use. Add to that field names such as La Crolière, Commercy and Sourriettes.

Champagne and viticulture

Gionges holds neither grand cru nor premier cru status. Even so, anyone passing through is in country shaped by Chardonnay. For champagne lovers it is worth looking at the growers in the surrounding villages, because away from the big names you often find champagnes with a clear sense of character. I deliberately name no specific houses here, as long as I cannot back them up.

“Gionges is a small village in the Marne département and was an independent commune until the end of 2017.

History

Before the Revolution, Gionges was a parish made up of two villages, each with its own church. The parish church was dedicated to Saints Ferréol and Ferjeux, while in Fulaine it was Saint Quentin. Ferréol and Ferjeux were two brothers sent to Besançon in the late 2nd century, where they died as martyrs in the year 212. The village still celebrates its patron saints' festival on the Sunday after 16 June.

In the First World War, the 19th Chasseurs Battalion (19e BCP) was stationed in the village for two days in September 1914, before setting off on 6 September to fight for the Château de Chapton.

Coligny

The statistics show one oddity: in 2006, 89 of the 237 inhabitants were counted separately as a distinct category of residents. The reason is a maison familiale rurale (a rural boarding school) in the village. By 2015 the commune had 218 inhabitants.

Things to see

• Church of Saint-Ferjeux and Saint-Ferréol: the nave dates from the 12th century, the transept from the 16th. The statue of Saint Ferjeux is 15th century. A brick tower with a spiral staircase leads up to the bell tower, where a clock has hung since February 2003.
• The moats of the Château de la Crolière (privately owned). The illustrator Maurice Berty was born there in 1884.
• Wash-houses in the village
• A ferme-auberge for a stop for a meal
• A flower-decked village centre with a walking path

Gionges makes a peaceful stop, for instance on a tour of the villages around Vertus and Oger.