Bethon reveals itself through several facets: the architectural history of the Église Saint-Serein, the story of a community-owned press and visits centred on Champagne. The surrounding landscape also alternates between grain fields, vineyard slopes and woodland. You can therefore focus your trip more on culture and winegrowing or on the landscape.
The Église Saint-Serein and its history
The Église Saint-Serein has building phases dating from the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries. It is laid out as a basilica and built in the Flamboyant Gothic style. Its listing as a historic monument is also part of its history: this took place by decree on 24 October 1927. Each of the building phases and its legal recognition gives the church its own historical significance.
The figurative stained-glass windows from the late 19th century include a depiction of the story of the shepherd Serein. He was devout and was later venerated as a saint. A fountain north of the church commemorates his first miracle. Together, these two memorial sites make the story of Serein a distinctive theme in Bethon: it appears both in the church windows and at the fountain.
The history of the press and Champagne visits
Le pressoir Jeannolle tells another side of the local winegrowing history. The Jeannolle family installed the press in 1903; it was the commune’s first shared press and remained in continuous communal operation until 1973. Its construction is also remarkable: le pressoir Jeannolle is one of the few well-preserved square presses still found in Champagne and has a capacity of 4,000 kilograms. Alongside the religious architecture, it bears witness to shared use and traditional winemaking.
Champagne visits offer a different focus. At Champagne Le Brun de Neuville, the visit includes vaulted galleries dug more than 19 metres into the chalk and ends with a guided tasting of three cuvées. Champagne Dekeyne & Fils welcomes visitors to La Voglonière in Bethon for cellar tours and tastings. Champagne Dominique Jarry offers tastings, and visits to the production facility are also possible. The experiences thus range from chalk galleries to cellar tours and a look at the production facility. Check access and current visiting times before your trip.
Vineyards, woodland and views
The landscape around Bethon also offers different points of interest. A plain of grain and oilseed fields gives way to vineyard-covered slopes, above which lies a wooded plateau. Bethon is on the edge of the Traconne forest massif. Viewpoints offer vistas over the vineyards and the Seine Valley. This sequence is useful for getting your bearings: the plain, vineyard slopes and wooded plateau each shape a different part of the landscape.
The landscape is also linked to leisure activities, including exploring woodland and winegrowing areas and fishing. These options give your trip a different focus from the church, the history of the press or cellar visits. So, when choosing Bethon as a destination, you can first decide whether you want to focus mainly on its architectural and historical attractions, Champagne visits or the landscape.
Discover more destinations: Dontrien, Cramant, Gravelines, Leuvrigny, Drosnay, Saint-Martin-Sur-Le-Pré, Saint-Remy-En-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-Et-Isson, Fagnières.
For the regional travel overview: Marne.
