Travel Guide Landreville

Landreville is home to the vines and the winegrowers who hang up their boots on the slopes during the harvest. Nestling between the foot of the slopes and the banks of the Ource, the village lines up its softly-colored houses on steep streets, punctuated by the large portals typical of Champagne houses. Built in the 12th century, then enlarged in the 16th, the church dominates the village and houses a mural dated 1519 and an altarpiece by sculptor Jean-Baptiste Bouchardon. Outside, a large Christ figure stands out under an awning. The village also saw the construction of a Protestant temple in the 17th century. The people of Landrevillois venerate Saint Béline, a devout young girl who was murdered in 1380 by the local lord for refusing his advances. A chapel stands on the site of this martyr of virginity, canonized in 1403. Landreville is also home to the birthplace of Aristide Étienne, a winegrowing scholar and poet who left behind poems, hymns, a diary and other writings in the somewhat pompous style of the early 20th century. You'll fall under the spell of this lively village steeped in history, and you can't leave Landreville without tasting the champagne produced on its hillsides and vinified in its cellars, whose reputation has long since spread beyond the verdant confines of the place. The missionaries of Nazareth also made this village their home.