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Origin and history

The collegiate Saint-Vivent de Braux, originally dedicated to Saint Peter, was founded in the 9th century by Ebbon, Archbishop of Reims, who placed there the relics of Saint Vivent (9th Bishop of Reims) and Saint Panteleon, martyr of the 3rd century. These relics, reputed miraculous, attracted pilgrims and eclipsed the original name of the church, now associated with Saint Vivent. Ebbon's successor, Hincmar, completed the work and installed a chapter of twelve canons there. The building, at first Carolingian, was profoundly redesigned: the nave and the lower side dates back to the 16th-17th centuries, while the 18th facade (rebuilt in 1775) incorporates an octagonal bell tower on a square base.

In the 17th century, under the Protestant principality of Château-Regnault, the church was placed under ban by the archbishop of Reims, who sent his coadjutor there. Despite this tension, the monument retained its religious role until the Revolution, served by a canon. In 1790, Braux was erected as a dean, before being attached to the Montherme after the Concordat. The college, classified as a historical monument in 1963 (with its crypt), bears witness to this turbulent history, mixing spiritual power, religious conflicts and architectural transformations.

The architecture of the college combines Romanesque elements (chœur, transept, seven-sided circular bedside) and Gothic additions, such as the vaults on dogive crosses of the late twelfth century. The bedside, partly of Carolingian origin, houses a crypt that is now extinct. Inside, the pavement and marble coverings (XVIIe), the altars, or the 18th century chassus containing the relics of Saints Vivent and Pantaleon, highlight its rich heritage. Among the remarkable pieces are also a 12th century Baptismal tank in Givet blue stone, decorated with grotesques, and modern stained glass windows, including that of Brigitte Simon (1950) representing Saint Vivent.

The collegiate chapter, active until the Revolution, had up to twelve canons under the direction of a provost. Among its members are such personalities as Étienne Cagniart, a provost who became parish priest of Charleville in 1677, or Pierre-Louis-Hector de Singly, the last provost appointed in 1789. These clerics were responsible for managing church property and worship, in a context marked by tensions between Catholicism and Protestantism, notably after the installation of the principality of Château-Regnault in the 17th century.

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