The origin of the word Chénas may lie in the translation of 'a place planted with oak trees' (Cassanus in Gaul). According to other sources, Chénas may also have derived its name from a Roman nobleman called Canus. Whichever origin is t rue, the fact is that the area comprising the village was planted with oak trees, apparently from prehistoric times. It appears that Charlemagne ordered the clearance of the trees and there is also evidence that in 1316 Philip V (Le Long) ordered them to be uprooted and vines to be planted in their place. Several years later, it was recorded that Chénas wine was found in Louis XIII's cellars. It seems it was the only wine he drank at table. The French Revolution also cites the name of Chénas : on July 14th, 1790 the Celebration of the Federation took place on the Rémont Hill (on the site of the Cabane des chasseurs). Six thousand people from the neighbouring villages gathered to celebrate four Masses from a four-sided altar simultaneously. Closer to home, the centre of the village of Chénas was relocated and moved down the hill to the " Dime ". Today, there are few remains of the old village centre. Vines now grow where the church and the graveyard once stood. The new church was built in 1875 on its present site. Today, Chénas is a village with a population of 475 inhabitants including the village itself and a handful of hamlets scattered throughout the immediate area.

 
geographical location
chenas and its soils
accommodation and eating out
associations
useful information
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Grape picking in days gone by...
  
  Sous le pampre déjà jauni se cache la grappe vermeille,
  préparons tonneaux et bouteilles et vendangeons ce fruit béni...
  (wine grower's saying)