Mondement-Montgivroux

Location

Mondement-Montgivroux lies in the Marne département in the Grand Est region, between the town of Sézanne and the marshland of the Marais de Saint-Gond. Geographically, the village marks the western edge of the Champagne Pouilleuse, the "dry Champagne". Administratively it belongs to the canton of Sézanne-Brie et Champagne and the arrondissement of Épernay. With 29 inhabitants (as of 2023), it is one of the very smallest communes in the region. The settlement is very loosely spread, and the commune falls within the catchment area of Sézanne.

Landscape and viticulture

The commune is shaped above all by farming. A little over 60 per cent of the land is agricultural, most of it arable fields, and a quarter is woodland. In the strict sense, Mondement-Montgivroux does not appear as a champagne village. If you travel in this area, the best plan is to combine your visit with Sézanne and the vineyards of the neighbouring Côte de Sézanne.

History

The present commune was created in 1845, when Mondement absorbed its neighbour Montgivroux. The village became known well beyond the region in September 1914. The fighting for Mondement was an important stage of the First Battle of the Marne. On the evening of 8 September the 19th Chasseur Battalion occupied the Château de Montgivroux, and the following day the Château de Mondement. The hill above the village commands the Marais de Saint-Gond and at the time blocked the road to Paris from the south.

“With 29 inhabitants (as of 2023), it is one of the very smallest communes in the region.

What to see

• Monument national de la Victoire de la Marne: The 35.5-metre memorial tower stands between the church and the château, placed there on the advice of Marshal Foch. The architect was Paul Bigot and the figures were made by the sculptor Henri Bouchard. The building, in salmon-pink tinted concrete, was begun in 1931 and finished in 1938, but was not inaugurated until 1951.
• Museum in the former school: It displays objects and documents on the battle and on life during the First World War.
• Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption with its cemetery and military plot.
• Château de Mondement: The scene of the fighting in 1914. The poet Jean Cocteau lived here in 1917.

The Egyptologist Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt (1913 to 2011) also lived in the commune and is buried there.

For the enthusiast

A detour to Mondement-Montgivroux is worthwhile as a historical stop on a drive through the south-west of Champagne. The monument offers wide views over the plain and the marshy lowland. Afterwards, a glass of champagne in Sézanne is the natural next step, and there you can get to know the growers of the Côte de Sézanne.