Chapelle Saint-Lié

Ville-Dommange

Standing alone on its hill among the vines, surrounded by its little cemetery, the chapel of Saint-Lié has watched over the plain of Reims for more than a thousand years: a sanctuary is attested on this spot from 830. First dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the building changed its calling at the end of the Middle Ages when it was given relics of Saint Lié, which made it a place of pilgrimage for the wine-growers of the Montagne de Reims. The 13th-century Gothic choir, with its capitals carved with foliage, bears witness to this prosperity. The hill also sheltered a singular destiny: in the 14th century, Jean de Varennes, a brilliant cleric who had passed through the court of the Avignon pope Clement VII, gave up everything to live here as a hermit — too vehement a preacher, he ended his days in prison. Struck by lightning and burnt in 1428, rebuilt and reduced from church to chapel in the 16th century, it was raised again in 1932 and restored up to 1990. The chapel is listed as a monument historique, a summary in stone of a history in which pilgrims and a fallen hermit are layered one upon another. From the forecourt, the panorama takes in the whole vineyard and Reims in the distance: one understands why every age has wanted to hold this hill.

Getting there : Rue des Quatre Vents, on the heights of Ville-Dommange, some ten kilometres south-west of Reims. Exterior and panorama freely accessible all year round, free of charge; interior open occasionally. Coordinates: centre of the commune of Ville-Dommange (approach point); the chapel is signposted on the hill above the village.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound