Everyone loves a glass of bubbly, whether it’s for a romantic Valentine’s Day treat, a toast at a wedding or launching a new ship! But after a recent trip to the Champagne region of north eastern France, I have discovered there is more to this part of the world than this effervescent drink.
Just one and a half hours from Paris, Aube in Champagne is a treasure trove for tourists offering art, culture, gastronomy and mesmerising architecture centred on the medieval town of Troyes. And you are never too far from a champagne cellar.
2017 is set to be the year of Renoir, with the opening of the artist’s home in Essoyes. Also, the Camille Claudel Museum will open in Nogent sur Seine, the first museum dedicated to this artist who had a famous affair with Rodin.
The Commandery of the Avalleur will also reopen, magnificently restored and the start of the new European cultural itinerary of the Knights Templar. A stop here brings history to life as guides dressed as Knights in chain mail and white tunics with a Red Cross emblem show the remains of the Commandery which dates back to the 12th century. The gothic chapel is from the Templar times when monks lived here.
Aube is the birthplace of the Order of the Temple.Hugues de Payns founded the Templars in 1120, influenced by Bernard of Clairvaux who founded Clairvaux Abbey in 1115. It was the Cistercian monk Bernard who provided the rules by which the Templars lived and who gave them the theological justification for monks to kill. They became the first religious and military order responsible for protecting pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land and went on to become powerful and influential land-owners and funders of the action in the East.
We begin to learn their story at Clairvaux Abbey, an abbey-prison with an extraordinary history. The monks’ refectory was transformed into a chapel in 1813 and although this and other restored, vaulted rooms are breath-taking; the building has a darker side. The site is also home to a high security prison which now stands on the same ground over adjacent high walls. For this reason visitors must hand over their passports for the duration of their visit. France’s number 1 prison once housed, among others, notorious terrorist Carlos the Jackal in 2006. Victor Hugo visited here in 1834 and some of the social injustice he saw inspired one of his most powerful works: Les Misérables.
Troyes
The medieval town of Troyes, the historical capital of Champagne, is a delightful labyrinth of cobbled streets, 16th century timber buildings huddled together and modern, vibrant squares. Once home to rich merchants the city, with its centre shaped appropriately like a champagne cork (or bouchee) now houses galleries, smart shops and cafes.
And don’t leave without sampling the local bubbly – cellars are avialble for tours and tasting thoughout the region, such as the delightful Monial in Colombe le Sec which has a history closely tied to the monastic activity around Clairvaux. The family-run Drappier champagne house in Urville has been producing champagne for centuries and its fine wine was a favourite of General de Gaulle.
www.monial.net
www.champagne-drappier.com
www.tourisme-troyes.com
Travel to Paris on Eurostar and then take the train to Troyes.
www.Voyages-sncf.com