Chaumont - Basilique Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Chaumont (pop. ~ 22.000) is located in the centre of Haute Marne.

Peasants and artisans settled around an early existing fortified motte and so started the development of Chaumont, owned since the 12th century by the Counts of Champagne.

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"Saint-Jean-Baptiste" was built at the beginning of the 13th century to meet the needs of a growing population. It was made a collegiate church in 1474 by Pope Sixtus IV and raised to "basilica minor" in 1948 by Pope Pius XII.

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Strange little creatures populate the vines. There must have been a species of snails in medieval times, that fortunately go extinct meanwhile. Aggressive horror-snails!