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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Abbey of Chehéry, founded in 1147 by Samson de Mauvoisin, Archbishop of Reims, was entrusted to Abbé Gontier de Lachalade with the financial support of local lords. From the beginning, she attracted pilgrims thanks to the beatification of the monk Roland, whose devotion persisted after his death. The 12th and 13th centuries saw the expansion of the monastic estate, with clearings, farms rented to peasants, and the development of artisanal activities such as glassware and forgings exploiting local ore.

In the 18th century, after centuries of conflict (the Hundred Years War, the Wars of Religion, the Thirty Years War) having weakened the abbey, a complete reconstruction was undertaken in 1750 under the direction of the architect Nicolas Joseph, financed by François-Marie Le Maistre de La Garlaye, Abbé Commandataire. This architectural renewal reflected the abbey's economic climax, drawn from the incomes of the forges and rents, before its sale as a national asset after the Revolution.

In 1789 the abbey was acquired by François Gérard de Melcy, who destroyed some of the buildings to make it a bourgeois residence. His son, Achille Auguste César de Melcy, set up a neo-Renaissance salon for his wife, Giulia Grisi, in 1836, before financial difficulties and family conflicts led to her decline. The forges, modernized with English techniques such as puddlage, perished around 1850 with the abandonment of charcoal.

In the 20th century, the abbey changed hands several times, especially between the Melcy and Longuet-La Marche families. In 1990, it was partially classified as a Historic Monument, then fully protected in 2025. Since 2019, a restoration is underway, carried by Charles du Jeu and Guillaume Ull, with a project of cultural centre and agricultural production, supported by the Heritage Lotto in 2020.

Today, only part of the 18th century cloister, transformed into a residence, as well as the commons and remains of the forges remain. The set illustrates both the Cistercian heritage, the post-revolutionary transformations and the contemporary challenges of preserving the industrial and religious heritage.

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