"A Day Trip in Champagne Country" Châlons-sur-Marne by hquittner

Châlons-sur-Marne Travel Guide: 9 reviews and 48 photos

The Wrong Church

We entered Chalons (pop.55K) from the Southwest recognizing as we entered a prosperous modern city. We arrived at a spacious central square with fountains showering and many intersections. At the northwest end was a large impressive old church and one parking place open which we immediately seized. When we opened our guidebook map, we discovered that it was not the cathedral which we had come to see, but Notre-Dame-en-Vaux, which was older. Both churches were worthy of a visit for church-hoppers like us

To the Cathedral and Back to the Cloister

Mau Canal and Pont Viviers

After looking at the outside with its reflection in the Mau canal, we continued a few blocks to the Cathedral whose exterior has been modified with and without purpose to diminish its beauty. There is within a historic evolution of stained glass windows. After leaving and lunching first, we returned to Notre Dame and hurried around the corner to the Museum established to preserve the ruins of its splendid 12C Romanesque cloister. It is mostly pieces and a few segments but it exhibits a jump in skill from Moissac (See our Tips) only 100 years earlier. We never had time to see the interior of Notre Dame itself.

The City Name

The Apse of Notre-Dame-en-Vaux

It is too much trouble to bother the powers that be at VT but this city several years ago officially reverted to its name in the distant past. It is actually "Chalons-en-Champagne".

Pros and Cons

Pros:Another Cathedral and a Bigger Church
Cons:There are closing hours
In a nutshell:Someone May Visit Here Besides Us.

Last visit to Châlons-sur-Marne: May 1998
Intro Written Jun 13, 2008
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Reviews (9)

Notre-Dame: Find the Meager Interior... Things to Do (8)

Other than the large number of stained glass windows and its architecture, the church has little that is noteworthy as... more travel advice

Column Statues of the Cloister - Châlons-sur-Marne

An Artistic Horror Story with a Happy... Favorites (1)

Gothic (meaning originally barbaric) Art was belittled until the mid-19C or later. In 1759 the Canons of... more travel advice

Action Figures (? Story) - Châlons-sur-Marne

Examine the Capitals of the Notre-Dame... Things to Do (8)

The capitals in the museum show the same range of skill and expression as do the column statues. Most of the figures on... more travel advice

A Piece of the Cloister Arcade (restored) - Châlons-sur-Marne

Art Lovers!: Don't Miss the Cloister... Things to Do (8)

The Cloister of Notr-Dame-en-Vaux must ave been spectacular! Most of the supportive columns must have had acarved figure... more travel advice

Comments (2)

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fabrice Jan 11, 2011 at 3:25 AM

so the new name of the city is châlons-en-champagne
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craic Nov 25, 2010 at 10:50 AM

i wonder if this is the chalon that edith wharton visited during ww1