Wandeling in Champeaux

The most beautiful religious building in the Brie region, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Martin in Champeaux remains the only witness of a college (community) of canons which welcomed a famous center of theological studies and chant.The Collegiate Church of Saint-Martin in Champeaux, listed as a Historic Monument in 1940, is a beautiful and large church built from the middle of the 12th century to the beginning of the 14th century. It was the church of a chapter of canons also called college from which it derives its name as a collegiate church. There was a singing school which trained choristers for the communities from all the region with its exceptional acoustics. The prosperity of the canons allowed the construction of a church with remarkable architectural qualities. It has a length of 69.55 m, a width of 24.20 m, a height in the nave of 15.30 m and its bell tower culminates at nearly 30 m. The oldest parts of the building, such as the transept, date back to the middle of the 12th century and the rest of the church illustrates the main stages of rayonnant gothic architecture. The whole, completed at the beginning of the 14th century, has come down almost intact, enriched during the Renaissance with a beautiful set of stained glass windows and very beautiful choir stalls and in the 18th century by a large carved wooden reredos. The architecture of the rather bare early Gothic style is however enriched with sculptures : a large number of carved capitals with plant motifs, figures and various monsters that dot the choir and the transept. There is within the Collegiate the most important set of 14th century tomb slabs in the region. In 1946, faced with the state of degradation into which the monument had fallen, the Association des Amis de la Collégiale was founded to help the municipality preserve and enhance this heritage. The Collegiate Church houses several objects protected as Historic Monuments : 16th century statues, a 17th century tabernacle, an 18th century eagle lectern, 19th century prie-dieux and a cantor's stool... The famous sculptor Rodin was passionate about this beautiful monument to which he often returned. He produced architectural drawings of the Collegiate Church, reproductions of which are displayed there. The Association Guillaume de Champeaux has been offering since 1983 concerts, exhibitions and guided tours of the Collegiate Church.

In Champeaux, not far from the collegiate church, the Aunoy domain has conserved its original architecture from the classical era. The castle and its jewel : an English-style park dating from the 18th century are listed in the inventory of Historical Monuments.The seigneury of Aunoy is attested as early as 1180 and at the beginning of the 18th century, a medieval castle flanked by towers is still visible. It was following a fire which occurred in 1750 that ravaged the old residence that the owner Jean-Baptiste Chabert, stockbroker, took the opportunity to completely remodel the domain, moving the dwelling further to the west, keeping only a few feudal features such as the dovecote and two small towers. The residence desired by Chabert is characteristic of the architecture of noble country houses. The Château d'Aunoy presents an important particularity ; it is devoid of ceiling and wooden framework. The roofing technique used is that of brick ceilings and attics. The castle barely completed, Chabert resold it in 1754, to his younger son. It then passed by marriage to the famous Parisian lawyer Pierre-Jean-Baptiste Gerbier, in 1761. Gerbier commissioned, from an English gardener whose name remains unknown, new gardens in the English style. The visits of the Prince de Conti and the Duchess of Chartres, themselves enthusiasts and patrons of English-style gardens, made this park a fashionable garden. It is one of the first English-style parks created in France. The castle park is today known for its majestic hybrid plane tree (Platanus x hispanica) of 30m high and 8m in circumference which extends over a span of more than 40m. About 200 years old, it is also classified as a "remarkable tree of Seine-et-Marne" (source CAUE77). In the 1960s, the property belonged to Emmanuel Motte, the style director of the mythical Maison Jansen, who undertook major restoration works both in the castle and in the park. He decorated the living rooms in the 18th century style, removed the roofs of the low wings and made many improvements in the park. Currently, property of Mr Tapiau, a former antique dealer and art collector, the castle's outbuildings are now fitted out to host seminars and receptions.

À Champeaux, le City Stade, la piste de course, les installations de fitness, l'aire de jeux pour enfants et les tables de pique-nique sont à votre disposition pour profitez du grand air !Terrain multisport : football, hockey sur gazon, badminton, handball, tennis, tennis ballon, volleyball, basketball... - déconseillé aux enfants de moins de 36 mois - les enfants sont obligatoirement placés sous la responsabilité des adultes Aire de jeux pour enfants : - placés sous la responsabilité des adultes - espace non fumeur Espace fitness : - équipements destinés uniquement aux jeunes et adultes de plus de 1,40cm. Accès libre et gratuit.

The history begins like a fairy tale : "Once upon a time the Val d'Ancoeur..." with its castles, its legends and the 3 names of this small stream, which has become a myth, that from Ancoeur becomes Ancoeuil to end as the Almont... before flowing into the Seine.(Extract from the website of the Departmental Archives) The Ancoeur stream is a watercourse that has its source in the municipality of Grandpuits-Bailly-Carrois at an altitude of 125 m. It then takes the name of "Ancoeuil" in the municipality of Moisenay and joins, after a journey of 25 km from its source, the Bassin de la Poële of the Vaux-le-Vicomte castle. At the exit of this basin, it flows into the "Almont" 5 km downstream into the Seine at Melun. It constitutes, with its tributaries, a catchment area of approximately 306 km². The Ancoeur stream flows through the municipalities of Grandpuits-Bailly-Carrois, La Chapelle-Gauthier, Bréau, Bombon, Saint-Méry, Blandy-les-Tours, Moisenay, Maincy and Melun. Classified as an "Exceptional Site" since October 14, 1985 by the Regional and Inter-Departmental Directorate for the Environment and Energy of Île-de-France, the Ancoeur stream offers enchanting landscapes. The classified site covers 1,861 hectares. Along the watercourses — the Almont, the Ancoeuil (or Ancueil) and then the Ancoeur — the Val d'Ancoeur unfolds its panoramas : villages, forests, castles (Vaux-le-Vicomte, Blandy-Les-Tours...) but also, at the confluence of the Seine, urbanised areas. "The Ancoeur is a very low-flow river, highly irregular and regularly at risk of running dry. The annual runoff depth within its catchment area is 96 millimeters annually, which is among the lowest in France, more than three times below the national average, and above all well below the average for the entire Seine basin (approximately 240 millimeters). The constant flow of the Ancoeur has, however, for centuries made it possible to operate the many mills. The large number of hydraulic structures, such as canals, basins and ponds, small reservoirs and mills, give the landscape a particular identity centred on water and its management. This is to be understood in relation to the wet character of the land." A place of life, production and creation, the Val d'Ancoeur brings together major heritage sites across the entire territory : churches and works of art dating back to the 12th century, castles, farms, mills, rural dwellings, small rural heritage... It has also become a subject of reflection and aesthetic admiration thanks to the artists who have captured its beauty and interpreted it in their own way. - The Ancueil ("Anqueil" in its 17th-century spelling) gave its name for example to a majestic statue in the park of Vaux-le-Vicomte, located to the left of all the grottos (1659–1662), facing the Tibre installed to the right in 1659. - The painter Paul Cézanne immortalised the bridge called Pont de Maincy in 1879 (now held at the Musée d'Orsay). - And the sculptor Auguste Rodin dedicated magnificent drawings to the collegiate church of Champeaux (1890–1917), as testimony to his admiration. For several years, the Communauté de Communes Brie des Rivières et Châteaux and the Communauté d'Agglomération Melun Val de Seine have joined forces to develop a Landscape Plan, revealing the assets of the Val d'Ancoeur. An opportunity for the protection and enhancement of the landscape heritage. The perimeter, which is based on the classified site, encompasses 11 municipalities across an area of approximately 56 km². It extends over a straight-line distance of nearly 17 km.

Entre collégiale gothique et ruelles briardes, Champeaux cache bien des secrets : un château et son parc à l’anglaise du 18e, une chapelle médiévale, et même un tournage avec Louis de Funès. Découvrez un village qui n'a pas fini de vous surprendre.#AUX ORIGINES DE CHAMPEAUX Le village de Champeaux est mentionné pour la première fois en 612 sous la forme villa Campellis, du latin campellis, signifiant "petit champ" ou "prairie", et villa désignant un domaine. Cette référence apparaît dans le testament de Sainte-Fare, personnage important de l’époque mérovingienne. Au fil des siècles, le nom du village a évolué à travers différentes formes, "Campellis in Bria", "Champeaux en Brie", "Champiaulx" ou encore "Champaux", avant de prendre sa forme actuelle de Champeaux. On nomme désormais ses habitants les Campéliens et Campéliennes. Le blason de Champeaux se compose d’une épée d’argent sur fond rouge, accompagnée de trois losanges dorés et d’un lambel d’or. Ces éléments rappellent l’importance historique et religieuse du village ainsi que son héritage seigneurial. #VISAGES D’HISTOIRE  > Guillaume de Champeaux, né à Champeaux vers 1070, était un important maître et penseur du Moyen-Âge, qui a enseigné à Paris et a joué un rôle dans le développement de l’enseignement religieux et philosophique. > Le sculpteur Auguste Rodin, figure majeure de l'art français, était passionné par la collégiale de Champeaux. Il en a réalisé plusieurs dessins, et certaines reproductions de ses dessins d'architecture y sont aujourd'hui exposées. #PATRIMOINE ET COUPS DE CŒUR > Érigée entre le milieu du 12e siècle et le début du 14e siècle, la Collégiale Saint-Martin de Champeaux s'impose comme l'un des édifices gothiques les plus remarquables d'Île-de-France : 70 mètres de long, une nef de plus de 15 mètres de hauteur, et un clocher culminant à près de 30 mètres. En son sein prospérait autrefois une école de chant réputée, formant des chantres pour toute la région, portés par une acoustique d'exception. Elle a été classée Monument Historique dès 1840. > Discret mais fascinant, le château d'Aunoy, inscrit aux Monuments Historiques, se dresse aux abords de Champeaux dans toute son élégance. Après un incendie en 1750, le château actuel est construit par Jean-Baptiste Chabert, dans le style des maisons nobles de campagne. Entre 1760 et 1770, son nouveau propriétaire, l'avocat Pierre Jean-Baptiste Gerbier, fait réaliser des jardins à l'anglaise, l'un des premiers parcs de ce type réalisés en France. Propriété privée, le château n'est pas accessible au public, mais les curieux pourront tout de même en admirer la silhouette et les façades depuis les grilles d'entrée. Le domaine abrite un platane hybride, d'environ 200 ans, qui a reçu le label “Arbre remarquable” en 2006. > Située sur la commune de Champeaux, mais propriété de la commune de Saint-Méry, par un décret du 24 juin 1910, Notre-Dame de Roiblay est le dernier vestige du prieuré datant du 12e siècle. Cette chapelle discrète au sud de la commune, restaurée en 1995, est un havre de paix au bord du GR1. > La vallée classée de l’Ancoeur offre l'un des paysages les plus préservés de Seine-et-Marne, un itinéraire de randonnée verdoyant et bucolique qui longe une partie du GR1, passant près de plusieurs fermes de la Brie. Pour les marcheurs les plus aguerris, une longue boucle d'environ 24 km serpente à travers le Val d'Ancoeur. #LE SAVIEZ-VOUS ? En 1981, Champeaux se transforme en décor de cinéma pour le film culte « La Soupe aux Choux », adaptation du roman de René Fallet, réalisé par Jean Girault avec Louis de Funès et Jean Carmet. Pendant tout l’été, le village accueille l’équipe de tournage et se transforme en véritable décor de cinéma. Certaines scènes sont tournées au cœur de Champeaux, notamment sur la place du village, autour de la mairie, de la poste, de la collégiale, de l’hôtel ou encore de la boulangerie. Ces lieux deviennent alors les décors emblématiques du film et sont toujours reconnaissables à ce jour. Mais le film ne se limite pas à cette seule commune, plusieurs lieux sont également utilisés pour créer l’univers du film. Les maisons des deux personnages principaux sont ainsi construites pour le tournage à Évry-Grégy-sur-Yerres, avant d’être démontées une fois le film terminé. Le hameau fictif des Gourdiflots est quant à lui installé du côté de Bombon, près du château de Montjay, mais il n’en reste aujourd’hui que des ruines.