From a distance, almost from any direction,
l’église St Julien in Courville seems to rise out from its surroundings in a most uncanny manner. As if in defiance of any modern indifference or ignorance towards its past, this church stands out, refusing to be overlooked or brushed aside. And indeed, the whole supposedly modest village - with its proud church - hides far more than we could possibly imagine as mere visitors passing through this picturesque hamlet, typical of hundreds of others in north-eastern France.
Set in a curve in the Ardres valley, on the
Route des Sacres in the Marne
département, the domain of Courville was once one of eight
châtellenies of the archbishops of Reims. The latter played a vital role in the history of the French monarchy -
la Cité des Sacres - where all the kings of France were crowned from the 9th century to the 19th. Incidentally, much of the stone used in the masonry of the cathedral would, in fact, come from the quarries around Courville, some 27 kilometres to the west of this major city.
The château of Courville became one of the exclusive residences for the archbishops from the end of the 12th century and it was one of a series of châteaux intended to protect the episcopal territory. Its exact date of construction remains unclear, yet is likely to have succeeded a Carolingian villa which was mentioned by the 10th century historian, Flodoard of Reims. The structure of the chateau was based around the four keeps (
les donjons), and despite the modifications made over the centuries by its successive owners, not forgetting its confiscation under the French Revolution as a state asset in 1792 - it survived until the early 20th century. Sadly, as countless other edifices, it fell victim to the ravages of the Great War 1914-1918, although in this case the château des archevêques was all but obliterated from a deliberate act of destruction as opposed to collateral damage.
It is almost impossible today to imagine this peaceful countryside bearing the full brunt of the hostilities in the First World War, but these lands were strategic vantage points over which thousands of lives were lost on both sides. The natural plateau overlooking the nearby village of Unchair was used as a military airbase to send squadrons daily to the nearby
Chemin des Dames, site of some of the most brutal fighting, despite its genteel name. The village of Courville was occupied by German forces until May 1918, most of the villagers having fled prior to their arrival, and the château then became the quarters of the military staff.
Although the village was bombed regularly by French and American troops, the château remained intact, but on their departure, the occupying forces ensured that the whole edifice was blown up, in accordance with the order given to destroy all grand buildings, monuments and beautiful homes and apply a scorched earth strategy to all else left in their wake.
Situated in the park of the château, the church miraculously survived the destruction of the residence, despite suffering considerable damage to its exterior structural parts and roof from shellfire. It had served as sleeping quarters for German troops, who, on their departure either destroyed or removed sacred objects, furniture, bells and stained-glass windows. The church was listed as a
Monument Historique in 1920, and looking at the edifice today in its calm setting, little gives any indication to its history, be that relatively recent or far distant past.
For indeed, St Julien has stood its ground for hundreds of years, dating back to its construction at the end of the 11th century. Initially constructed to a simple plan with a nave and a high Roman tower built over the narthex, this design was carried out by artisans from Reims then modified considerably from the 12th century onwards. The bell tower was repositioned to stand at the other end of the edifice whilst octagonal apses and side aisles were added too. The archbishops had a double-level gallery incorporated in the nave, with large arcades in Roman style and high window set above in the second level built in the Gothic style. The upper level served as the independent chapel of the archbishops of Reims in the 15th century and was dedicated to Saint Michel.
This was accessible from the grounds of the château via a wooden footbridge that remained in place until 1730. At the end of the 18th century, the years of the French Revolution took their toll on the church as it was defaced and plundered as were so many other religious sites across the country but fortunately it remained standing and suffered no further assaults until the Great War 1914-1918, apart from the relatively recent theft (and recovery) of a sculpted wood statue of Saint Sébastien in 2011.
As a precaution against the deeds of ill-intentioned visitors, the church doors are locked, and therefore I have not yet had the opportunity to explore the interior. Although the entrance is a very sober archway, with minimal decoration apart from simple indented stonework, the exterior of the church bears some interesting sculpted forms that offer a tantalizing idea of what to expect within the building.
Indeed, the capitals that adorn the top of the columns and archways are said to bear highly decorative forms with human heads, animals, flowers and foliage -even a scene of Jonas and the whale! While there is a sculpted altarpiece in the flamboyant Gothic style, the stained-glass windows ‘merely’ date back to the 19th century, only one of a pair to survive the bombing of the château in 1918.
These were a donation from one of the last inhabitants of the domain, the Bracquemont family, and were made by the Atelier Simon-Marq specializing in stained-glass since 1640…. and still running today! The wooden ceiling of the nave was vaulted in ogival brickwork in 1895 but that and all the other architectural features of the church I will discover when I visit. In the meantime, I can’t help but wonder what this region would have been like today, if it had not been subjected to such war-time devastation that willfully destroyed so much of its heritage.
