16. La Chaussée-sur-Marne to Vitry-le-François

The commune of La Chaussée-sur-Marne is made up of two communes, Mutigny and Coulmier.
The church of Saint-Martin de Mutigny dates from the 15th century.
The church Saint-Pierre de Coulmier dates from the 12th century. It is in Romanesque style in chalk stone, with a polygonal chevet of Rhenish inspiration and an octagonal bell tower, classified as a Historic Monument since 1930. Today desecrated, it has become a concert and exhibition hall.

The church of Saint-Amand, built from 1138 to 1147, with its porch gallery or caquetry which resembles part of a cloister, but locally called "the porch". The parishioners meet under the porch, before entering the church or leaving the services, to "chat".
The church preserves a Romanesque part with, in particular, the remains of a tower, with a spiral staircase inside. On these Romanesque bases, Gothic additions have allowed the elevation of all the ribbed vaults and the creation of a large choir, abundantly lit by stained glass windows.

The origin of Sainte-Geneviève Priory, located on the Monts Royer (147 meters) west of Vitry-en-Perthois, is difficult to date with precision. If a tradition seems to date its foundation to the year 865, the first document proving its existence is from 1097. On this date, Philippe I, bishop of Châlons, gave the altar of Sainte-Geneviève de Vitry to the abbey of Saint-Pierre-aux-Monts de Châlons, then directed by Abbot Lambert (1074-1099). From then on, the church of Sainte-Geneviève is a Benedictine priory attached to the great abbey of Châlons. It is subject to the visit of the bishop of Châlons.

The history of Vitry-en-Perthois begins in the Roman period. The destruction of the city of Perthis by the Huns in 451 made Vitry-en-Perthois the largest city and thus the new capital of Perthois, a title that it would give in the 16th century to the new city built by François I, Vitry-le-François.
Discover the Perthois or the humid Champagne region, irrigated by ponds and rivers.

The Mont de Fourche, viewpoint, located at 208 meters above sea level, the highest point of the hills overlooking the Saulx, is so called because of the patibular forks that were erected there by the first counts of Vitry, as a mark of high justice.
A strategic point during the 1st World War, it became a vineyard with a view of the Perthois plain.

Seventeenth century building with a façade with two towers in classical style. The collegiate church has rich furnishings, a large part of which is listed. Its construction on the site of an old church dates from 1629. It took 125 years to complete the ensemble with woodwork inside. The choir and the absidial chapels were completed at the end of the 19th century.

Vitry-le-François is at the confluence of several major communication routes and three channels.
Formerly called "Vitry-en-Perthois", this ancient stronghold was dismantled by Charles V at the end of the 12th century. Then François 1st founded the city in 1545, giving it its name and its arms: a salamander. It was an Italian architect, Girolamo Marini, who designed this geometrical city in a checkerboard pattern around its central square and opening at the cardinal points through four gates.
Take advantage of your visit to the town centre of Vitry-le-François to stroll through the park of the Town Hall. The Town Hall, formerly the Récollets Convent, is a civil building located to the east of the town centre of Vitry-le-François, on the town hall square. With its garden, it is classified as a historical monument.