Culture and History
The Collégiale Saint-Martin de Champeaux is a fortified church built from the mid-12th to the beginning of the 14th century. It has 54 choir stalls made in 1522 by Falaize, a Parisian joiner, as well as a remarkable collection of 16th-century stained-glass windows. It also contains a collection of tomb slabs made of Liaiskalkstein limestone, considered unique in the Île-de-France region.
The Domaine d’Aunoy is also one of the town’s historic attractions: it retains its original mid-18th-century architecture as well as part of its park designed in the English style, and was added to the supplementary list of Monuments historiques in April 1986. The park of Château d’Aunoy is considered one of the first English-style parks created in France. The private château is visible from the public road but cannot be visited; entering the grounds is prohibited. It lies south of the village of Champeaux.
The Collégiale Saint-Martin de Champeaux is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and until 6 p.m. in winter, for free visits outside religious services. One-and-a-half-hour guided tours with talks are available for groups by reservation. During the annual Fête de la Musique, an illuminated and atmospheric guided tour takes place in the Collégiale.
The public washhouse of Champeaux is also part of the town’s history. On 20 May 1872, Mayor Hubert Placide ROBICHON drew the municipal council’s attention to the construction of such a building. The washhouse consisted of an enclosed, covered building with a basin, wooden washboards with iron fittings, an entrance courtyard, and a laundry room. Champeaux was also the birthplace of Guillaume, who founded the abbey of the Canons Regular of Saint-Victor in Paris in 1113.
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Nature and Trails
The Chapelle Notre-Dame de Roiblay is located in the municipality of Champeaux, but belongs to the municipality of Saint-Méry and lies along the GR1 long-distance hiking trail. It was an important pilgrimage site, particularly in the 16th and early 17th centuries. The chapel stands on the slope of a hill above the valley of the ru d’Ancœur, which is designated as a protected landscape area.
The Balade à Champeaux leads to the junction with the Sentier de la Procession (GR1). The proximity of the ru de l’Ancœur and significant heritage sites makes this walk a noteworthy tourist and cultural stop.
Other destinations: Nemours, Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry, Perthes, Bougligny, Saint-Mammès, Léchelle, Dampmart, Bailly-Romainvilliers
