Berru Hill, on account of its height, its sulphurous and ferruginous waters, flint quarries, and fertile soil, was inhabited in pre-historic times. At the summit, a campignien workshop, and farther down, above the springs which supply the village with water, a neolithic station have been discovered. Thousands of knives, arrow-heads, scrapers, saws, and other primitive tools have been unearthed. In the Gallo-Roman times the village must have been fairly important, judging by the vestiges of the ancient buildings discovered at the foot of the hill. It was near Berru that the Gaulish helmet, now in the National Museum of St. Germain, was found. Towards the end of the 16th century (about 1575), during the Leaguers' struggles around Rheims, the village was fortified, to protect it from pillaging by the soldiers. The moats and glacis which surrounded it are still visible to the south, where, covered with trees, they adjoin the gardens. Subterranean places of refuge, the entrance to which is no longer known, formerly existed underneath the village.
From the fort, the road, winds down the opposite slopes of the hill. At the bottom of the latter, leave on the right the road to the Fort of Nogent l'Abbesse, seen on the high ground to the right.
ENTRANCE TO BEINE VILLAGE BY THE ROAD TO NOGENT L'ABBESSE
Nogent l'Abbesse—Beine—Berru
(See Itinerary, p. [160], and summary of the Military Operations, p. [154].)
The village of Nogent l'Abbesse is next reached, at the entrance to which the road divides into three branches. Take the middle one (G.C. 64), which leads to the ruined village of Beine. During the run-down to the village, there is a fine view of the Champagne Hills in front (Mont Cornillet and Mont Haut).
The village of Beine was one of the oldest demesnes belonging to the Abbey of St. Remi-de-Reims. It was made into a commune at the end of the 12th century.
The church of St. Laurent, situated in the centre of the village, was an excellent specimen of the transition style of the 12th century (photo below).