Rheims and the Battles for its Possession Part 18

Facing the doorway of the church, on the left of the great entrance-door to a court, is a niche containing a 16th century stone =statue= representing a bishop wearing a chasuble.

In the court of the same house, over the door of the main structure, on the right, in an arched Renaissance niche, hollowed out and ornamented with marble incrustations, is the =statue= of a canon with folded hands kneeling at the foot of a crucifixion.

A sh.e.l.l-splinter took off the head of the bishop's statue, but the other group is intact.

Those interested in things pre-historic, may visit the =Pistat Collection= at Bezannes, which contains a great number of interesting specimens belonging to the stone and neolithic ages, and to the Gallic and Roman periods of the region.

Of the old castles of Bezannes, nothing of interest remains.

On September 11, 1914, during the Battle of the Marne, the German Staff took up their quarters in the house of M. Poullot. On the 12th, the battle attained the vicinity of the village.

_Skirt the church, and at the cross-roads at the end of the village, keep straight on, past the cemetery on the right._

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHURCH OF BEZANNES IN 1914]

_The road climbs a small hill lined with trenches, then descends to the village of_ =Les Mesneux=.

_At the entrance to this village (which is of no particular interest) turn to the right, and at the fork about fifty yards farther on, to the left, leaving the unmetalled road on the right._

_About half-a-mile from Les Mesneux and shortly before reaching the crossing with the road to Rheims (G. C. 6)_, there is a small wood at the place called =Le Champ Clairon=. It was from here that German batteries under Colonel von Roeder fired on Rheims on September 4, 1914, in spite of the protestations of the Mayor of Les Mesneux, who a.s.sured the German commander that the French troops had completely evacuated the town.

_At the crossing with G. C. 6, keep straight on to Ormes_, whose church, at the entrance to the village, was almost entirely destroyed.

=Ormes=

(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)

This village, in addition to numerous subterranean pa.s.sages and chambers, possesses the interesting 12th century =Church St. Remi= (_photo below_).

Its circular apse with cornice resting on corbels is barrel-vaulted.

Colonnettes in the great bays of the steeple (in ruins) carry carved 12th century capitals.

The pointed vaulting of the southern transept is 12th century, and the ogival groining rests on Norman capitals. The doorway of the western facade dates from the second half of the 12th century, and although its porch was destroyed in 1853 it is still remarkable.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CHURCH OF ORMES]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE INSIDE OF ORMES CHURCH]

It comprises three tierce-pointed arcades surmounted by a line of billet-moulding. The lateral arcades are blind, while the higher central arcading around the door is surmounted with three receding _tori_ resting on crocketed foliate capitals. The lateral arcades have similar capitals but only one _torus_.

Inside the church are interesting =16th century statues=: _St. Barbara_ in stone and _St. Catharine_, painted and decorated, face the altar; _St. Remi_ in stone, remarkable for its costume and decoration, stands above the altar of the northern chapel; a wooden _Virgin_ surmounts the inner doorway.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ALTAR-SCREEN OF THE CHOIR]

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ROAD FROM RHEIMS TO JOUY, NEAR THE LATTER VILLAGE _Note the camouflaging._]

_Return by the same road to the crossing with the road to Rheims (G. C.

6), where, opposite the_ =Cafe du Joyeux Laboureur=, _turn to the right._

The road rises towards the Mountain of Rheims. Of the _camouflaging_ seen in above photograph, only traces remain.

_Shortly after, the tourist pa.s.ses between the villages of_ =Jouy= _and_ =Pargny=, _whose houses border the road._ Jouy (_on the left_) and Pargny (_on the right_) were bombarded by the Germans in June, 1915.

The =Church of Jouy=, visible from the road to Rheims, was almost entirely destroyed.

_To visit the church of Pargny, turn to the right opposite the grocery stores, No. 262, then take the second street on the left_ (near a fine mansion partly in ruins).

_About 100 yards farther on is_ the church, the belfry of which was destroyed. _Return to the crossing with the main road to Rheims, where turn to the right._

The road continues to climb the northern slopes of the Mountain of Rheims. On a hill to the left, the =Chapel of St. Lie= dominates the surrounding plain. There is a very fine view of Rheims from here.

_The top of the rise is reached soon afterwards. Descend the southern slopes, pa.s.sing between the sidings of an_ important material and ammunition depot situated on the reverse side of the mountain out of sight of the enemy's observation-posts. _On reaching the crossing half-way down the hill, leave on the left the two roads leading respectively to_ =Ville Dommange= _and_ =Courmas=.

_A short distance further on, after pa.s.sing the road to Onrezy (on the left), take the following narrow road on the left_, which pa.s.ses between clumps of trees that were cut to pieces by sh.e.l.l-fire.

_A little further on, on the right, is a_ cemetery containing the graves of some two hundred French, British and Italian soldiers.

_Turn to the right after the cemetery._ The road crosses a fine avenue bordered with sh.e.l.l-torn poplar trees, leading to the =Castle of Commetreuil= _on the left_. _The village of_ =Bouilly= is reached soon afterwards.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE END OF BOUILLY VILLAGE (_going towards St. Euphraise_).]

=Bouilly--St. Euphraise--Clairizet=

(_See pp. 131-132, and Itinerary, p. 122._)

Bouilly was burnt by the Germans on September 12, 1914, under the pretext that the inhabitants had caused the death of two _Uhlans_ killed the day before by French _Cha.s.seurs_.

_Turn to the right opposite the Church of Bouilly._ There is a small cemetery on the right, just outside the village, containing several German graves.

_On reaching G.C. 6, leading to Rheims, turn to the right. Take the first road on the left_, which pa.s.ses through a small devastated wood, where batteries of guns were posted. _Cross a small stream, and immediately afterwards the railway, then turn to the left into the village of_ =St. Euphraise=.

_Turn to the right in the village, opposite the church._ The road rises steeply to the hamlet of =Clairizet=, which was almost entirely destroyed. _Pa.s.s by a_ "Calvary," composed of four large trees surrounding a cross, _then turn to the left into a small narrow street_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RUINED CHURCH OF ST. EUPHRAISE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COULOMMES VILLAGE SEEN FROM THE CHURCH]

=Coulommes-la-Montagne--Vrigny=

(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)

_The road rises, then descends to_ =Coulommes-la-Montagne=. _Turn to the right at the entrance to the village._ The church, in ruins, is on the left.

_At the cross-roads just outside the village take G.C. 26 on the left.

At first, the road dips rather abruptly, then rises to_ =Vrigny=.