Champigny offers several ways to enjoy a stay focused on local history and nature: the Église Saint-Martin, historic buildings, a memorial site and traces in the woods. Les Brissets adds a hike of a specified length and average walking time to this selection. You can plan your visit according to the topics you would like to explore further.
Église Saint-Martin: Architecture and Furnishings
The Église Saint-Martin has a nave with side aisles, a transept and a five-sided apse. These terms describe different parts of the church: the nave forms the main space, the side aisles flank it, and the transept crosses its longitudinal axis. The choir completes the building. This makes it possible to appreciate the architecture not only through the façade, but also through the layout of the building.
The oldest part still standing today is the west façade. Its round-arched portal dates from the 12th century. The church’s furnishings also include an altarpiece depicting the Triumph of the Holy Cross, from the early 16th century. The façade and altarpiece thus point to different periods: one is a surviving architectural feature, while the other is a work with its own religious theme.
Historic Buildings and Remembrance
Near the church stands the “petit château,” built by the Esmangard de Bournonville family. A château in Champigny was very probably built by the De Bernard family. They were the lords of Champigny from the late 15th century until the French Revolution. The attribution of the building remains probable, while the period of their rule is specified.
At the Cour-Notre-Dame priory, the ruins of an 11th-century chapel preserve Romanesque window elements. The remains give the chapel a different historical and architectural context from the Église Saint-Martin: here, the ruins and surviving window sections draw attention to Romanesque architecture.
A memorial site in Champigny also tells of the wartime period. The Champigny-sur-Yonne/La Chapelle Champigny cemetery holds the remains of five airmen from the Karnezis crew. They lost their lives on 6 September 1943 during a mission against Stuttgart. The date, crew and mission are part of this memorial and can be placed in the context of local history.
Woodland Sites and a Hike
In the woods of Champigny, away from the paths, there is a rock bearing a clearly legible religious inscription dated 1776. Its location away from the paths should be taken into account when planning. The “Pierre qui sent l’huile” and a polishing stone are also still visible in the woods. Check local access conditions before including these woodland features in your plans.
Champigny also has a hiking trail called Les Brissets. It is approximately 11.5 kilometres long, with an average walking time of three hours. The distance and average time provide a guide for planning your day, not an exact estimate of your personal walking time. Check local conditions before setting out.
Planning and Getting There
Place de la gare is listed as the location of the Champigny-sur-Yonne railway stop. There is no ticket counter there, but there is a TER ticket machine. As TER services may change, check the current connections before travelling.
Discover more destinations: Joigny, Sainte-Vertu, Malicorne, Brosses, Auxerre, Ancy-Le-Franc, Magny, Bierry-les-Belles-Fontaines.
For the broader travel overview: Yonne.
