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Hautvillers (Municipality, Marne, France)

Flag of Hautvillers - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 2 June 2025

Presentation of Hautvillers
Flag of Hautvillers

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Presentation of Hautvillers

Hautvillers (628 inhabitants, 1,177 ha) is a commune in the Marne department.

In the year 650, in the Middle Ages, Archbishop Saint Nivard, then head of the church of Reims, is said to have had a prophetic vision during a trip to the region: a dove flying over the hillside, indicating to him the location of the future monastery. He then ordered the construction of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers. The abbey prospered despite the vicissitudes of history: destroyed by the Normans in 882, restored and then burned by the English in 1449, rebuilt and then razed by the Huguenots in 1564. It rose again from the ashes thanks to donations from Catherine de Medici. It finally ceased all activity during the Revolution in 1789. Following the revolts of the time, only the abbey church and a small part of the cloister remained.

The Abbey was the home of the famous Dom Perignon (1638-1715), a Benedictine monk whose work in wine-making helped to develop champagne. Because of the region's testimony to the development of champagne and unique agro-industrial system, the nearby vineyards, harvest huts, presses, and cellars were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 as part of the Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars site.The underground cellars, used for storing and fermenting the champagne, were built in the late 17th century and are some of the first cellars specifically dedicated to storing champagne.

Olivier Touzeau, 2 June 2025

Flag of Hautvillers

The flag of Hautvillers was observed with several other city flags in 2019 in Eguisheim (Haut-Rhin) when for the 59th Eguisheim Winegrowers' Festival, Mayor Claude Centlivre wanted to fly the flags of the "friendly" towns around the renovated old wine press (source: this article in L'Alsace newspaper).
The flag of Hautvillers is blue with the coat of arms, the name of the commune above and the motto "cradle of Champagne".

The arms of Hautvillers are blazoned Gules two keys Or saltirewise (for Saint-Peter abbey).

Olivier Touzeau, 2 June 2025