Châtillon-sur-Marne
Encyclopedia
Châtillon-sur-Marne is a commune
in the Marne
department in north-eastern France
.
It lies in the valley of the Marne River
, surrounded by the Parc Naturel de la Montagne de Reims. It lies in the historic province of Champagne
. The picturesque village stands above sloping vineyards and fields: Épernay
, the principal entrepôt of the Champagne wines, is within walking distance.
, Eudes de Châtillon, whose uncle Guy de Roucy, bishop of Reims mentored his early career, was born in the family of the seigneurs of Châtillon, who inherited the lands and titles of Count of Blois
when Hugues de Châtillon, comte de Saint Pol, married Marie the heiress of the counts of Blois in 1230. In 1391 the seigneury of Châtillon passed with the honors of Blois into the royal family of France.
Here also was born Reynald of Châtillon, called "Le Loup" (the Wolf) by Muslims, who went to the Holy Land
on the Second Crusade
and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1181 he raided the Red Sea
, aiming to attack Mecca
and Medina
, and attacked again in 1183, forcing a counterattack from Saladin
, who successfully captured Jerusalem in 1187, setting the stage for the Third Crusade
.
Many Gallo-Roman fortifications called castellionum have given rise to French places called Châtillon. The little fortress called Castellionum super Matronam commanded a strategic crossroads in the valley of the Marne and was repeatedly attacked and demolished and refortified, most recently in 1575. The modern village retains the traces of the densely-built fortified village in the narrowness of its streets.
The pride of the commune is a triumphal statue of Urban II that surmounts the village. It is 9 metres tall with an interior spiral staircase, and stands on a drumlike socle that lofts it to 25 metres. The project was suggested in 1862: land for it was donated and 30,000 francs were collected, including 3000 francs from Pope Leo XIII
. The statue, which was erected from August 1879, is composed of eighty blocks of Kersanton granite executed by the sculptor Le Goff. The blocks were brought one at a time by ox-cart from Port-à-Binson. The statue was inaugurated July 21, 1887 by the papal nuncio and two dozen prelates, to an enthusiastic crowd of 20,000 in grandiose fêtes that lasted for three days. The 10-metre cross formerly in Urban's hands had been brought by pilgrims from the Holy Land and was carried on men's backs to its final position.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Marne
Marne
Marne is a department in north-eastern France named after the river Marne which flows through the department. The prefecture of Marne is Châlons-en-Champagne...
department in north-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It lies in the valley of the Marne River
Marne River
The Marne is a river in France, a right tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. It is long. The river gave its name to the départements of Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne....
, surrounded by the Parc Naturel de la Montagne de Reims. It lies in the historic province of Champagne
Champagne (province)
The Champagne wine region is a historic province within the Champagne administrative province in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name...
. The picturesque village stands above sloping vineyards and fields: Épernay
Épernay
Épernay is a commune in the Marne department in northern France. Épernay is located some 130 km north-east of Paris on the main line of the Eastern railway to Strasbourg...
, the principal entrepôt of the Champagne wines, is within walking distance.
History
Here Pope Urban IIPope Urban II
Pope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
, Eudes de Châtillon, whose uncle Guy de Roucy, bishop of Reims mentored his early career, was born in the family of the seigneurs of Châtillon, who inherited the lands and titles of Count of Blois
Count of Blois
The County of Blois was originally centred on Blois, south of Paris, France. One of the chief cities, along with Blois itself, was Chartres. Blois was associated with Champagne, Châtillon , and later with the French royal family, to whom the county passed in 1391...
when Hugues de Châtillon, comte de Saint Pol, married Marie the heiress of the counts of Blois in 1230. In 1391 the seigneury of Châtillon passed with the honors of Blois into the royal family of France.
Here also was born Reynald of Châtillon, called "Le Loup" (the Wolf) by Muslims, who went to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
on the Second Crusade
Second Crusade
The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crusade by Baldwin of Boulogne in 1098...
and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1181 he raided the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
, aiming to attack Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
, and attacked again in 1183, forcing a counterattack from Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, who successfully captured Jerusalem in 1187, setting the stage for the Third Crusade
Third Crusade
The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...
.
Many Gallo-Roman fortifications called castellionum have given rise to French places called Châtillon. The little fortress called Castellionum super Matronam commanded a strategic crossroads in the valley of the Marne and was repeatedly attacked and demolished and refortified, most recently in 1575. The modern village retains the traces of the densely-built fortified village in the narrowness of its streets.
The pride of the commune is a triumphal statue of Urban II that surmounts the village. It is 9 metres tall with an interior spiral staircase, and stands on a drumlike socle that lofts it to 25 metres. The project was suggested in 1862: land for it was donated and 30,000 francs were collected, including 3000 francs from Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
. The statue, which was erected from August 1879, is composed of eighty blocks of Kersanton granite executed by the sculptor Le Goff. The blocks were brought one at a time by ox-cart from Port-à-Binson. The statue was inaugurated July 21, 1887 by the papal nuncio and two dozen prelates, to an enthusiastic crowd of 20,000 in grandiose fêtes that lasted for three days. The 10-metre cross formerly in Urban's hands had been brought by pilgrims from the Holy Land and was carried on men's backs to its final position.
External links
- Comtes de Châtillon-Blois (French)