The best road cycling routes around Ollainville

In the 18th century, the church of Saint-Brice was attached to the parish of Autreville, deanery of Neufchâteau, diocese of Toul. It was under the patronage of the canons of Saint-Euchaire de Liverdun, now in Meurthe-et-Moselle. The current building was constructed in 1768 at the instigation of Jean-Baptiste Panel, parish priest of Harmonville and Autreville since 1763. A foundation stone preserved in the south wall mentions, which is quite rare, the names of the contractors and the king's architect, residing in Metz »: Dominique George. Only one other church is known to be attributable to him, that of Maizières, in Meurthe-et-Moselle. The two contractors, Dieudonné Mariiez and Jacques Jérôme Prétot, are moreover from this same village. Archives attest to the numerous repair works carried out during the first half of the 19th century, which ended with the purchase of a clock (1841) and three bells (1843). The building is, as is often the case in the region, a barn church whose plastered nave ends in a pentagonal choir with a ribbed vault. The nave and choir are covered by a long tiled roof of mechanical tiles replacing the original hollow tiles. The in-built bell tower is, for its part, covered by a slate spire on a square base. Built in rendered rubble – the ashlar being exclusively reserved for the facade – the church is of great sobriety, tempered neither by the visible corner chains, nor by the molded segmental arch lintel of the portal, nor by the sculpted decorative element, perhaps an old eucharistic oculus (15th century?) inserted into the masonry of the bell tower. Inside, the choir has retained its wooden paneling. The two side altars, the pews with turned wooden armrests and feet, the pulpit adorned with lambrequins and topped by an angel blowing its trumpet, are very likely contemporary with the construction. The church of Saint-Brice preserves a statue of Saint Roch (last quarter of the 16th century) from an old chapel that housed a hermit in the 18th century, and an octagonal baptismal font with a baluster base. In 1998, for the repair of the plasterwork and zinc roofing of the church, the Sauvegarde de l’Art français granted aid of 75,000 F.

Very beautiful village

The source of the Meuse River is located in Pouilly-en-Bassigny (409 m), about 32 km by bike from Langres. Information boards have been set up here, and a lovely rest area has been created. The waters flow gently, almost sleepily, from the source of the Meuse and wind their way through stunning landscapes from the Vosges Mountains through Belgium's Ardennes to the flatlands of the Netherlands, 1,000 km to Rotterdam. Breathtaking nature, historic towns, and, above all, a magnificent cycle path.

St. Nicholas Church. To visit

Neufchâteau is a very pretty town, where you can find the classic statue of Joan of Arc. (You are close to her birthplace). A necropolis from the First World War is also worth a visit. Very beautiful monuments can be discovered when you stroll through its streets.

The river here is beautiful. Beautiful cliffs, a superb bridge, a bucolic place where sometimes cows cool off. Circourt-sur-Mouzon is very pleasant.

Remains of the castle of the Counts of Vaudémont.

The Saint-Blaise church is a 12th century Catholic church which has undergone several modifications over the centuries. You can admire the original portal, the nave and the transept, as well as the 18th century bell tower and the 19th century apse. The church also houses remarkable sculptures and paintings, such as the polychrome wooden statue of Saint Blaise, patron saint of throat patients.