Surroundings of Vézelay…

 

Asquins ( 1 Km from Vezelay)

to visit : village and church (free visit of the church on appointment)

Asquins, village of 300 inhabitants, rich in a rural and religious architectural heritage protected, surrounded with woody hills, fits in the heart of the valley of the Cure.Its former name"esconium" or "asconium" would indicate a country of springs and fountains. Asquins was a dependence of the abbey of Vezelay until 16th century. The village lived the great gatherings of the first crusades and was witness of the departure of the pilgrimage on the way to Santiago de Compostella.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curiosities in the village : the Moutier and the church Saint-Jacques the major based in 11th century, former peasant houses and dovecotes, barn in tithes, the hunting house of the 16th century, the place saint Luc Martin, the washouses and fountains in four places of the village, the bridge which steps over the Cure, the ruins of the ramparts of the 16th century...

the church Saint Jacques the major (12e/13e centuries) Classified ancient memorial, th church dedicated to saint Jacques is registered by Unesco on the world heritage of the humaty as point of departure of one of four routes of the pilgrimage to Santiago. A very beautiful bust polychromic wooden reliquary representative Saint Jacques (16th century), woodwork of 18 th century wrapping the pillars of the nave, a beautiful set stained glasses, of which Saint-jacques in the baroque choir (18th century) deserves the bend.

photo Agnès Millot
 
 

 

Saint-Père (2 Km from Vezelay)

to visit : village and church (free visit) the salt springs and the archaeological museum (no free visit)

At the foot of the Vezelay hill, established on either side of the Cure. The church Notre-dame built from 13th and 15th centuries, is a jewel of burgundy Gothic art : a fifty meters high bell-tower from 13th, flanked with its 4 angles of angels sounding with the olifant , under the porch or narthex with three portals a tom of woman dated from the 13th century. The interior is very stripped and presents a luminous nave finished by 5 radiating chapels.We can see just at the entry, two stoups out of cast iron and along the collarerals, the tombs of supposed the founders. At the exit of the village, direction Corbigny, we can see the former church of saint Pierre (11th/12th centuries) dedicated to the patron of the village, who with the patoisante deformation became saint Père. Researchers and archaelogists agree to see in this place, as says it the tradition, the place of the former monastery of Vézelay founded by Girard of Roussillon in the 9th century.

the archaeological site of the "Fontaines Salées"

Situated at about 1,5 kilometers on the south side of the village, this site "Fontaines Salée"s reveals an archaeological place of first importance. the excavations carried out in 1934 at the instigation of Pr René Louis, made it possible to uptodate a Gallic sanctuary and a hydrolic establishment of Gallo-Roman time, installed on mineral springs salted with therapeutic virtues.

Open from 1st april to 2nd november,

 April, may, june, sept : every day from 10.am to 12 .30.pm - from 1.30.pm to 6.30pm

july et august : from 10.am to 7.pm- october to nov : from 10.am to 12 .30.pm - from 1.30.pm to 5.30pm

Archaeological Museum

Established in the former presbytery (next to the church), the museum houses archaeology excavations from the "Fontaines Salées". A mediaval room joins together a collection of sculptures from 13th to 14th centuries coming from St Père, among whom a saint Jacques dated from the end of 13th century. We also discover there the rest of a merovingien nécropolis , ceramics, currencies, jewels, statues and ex-voto dated from the Gallo-Roman period.

Open from 1st april to 2nd november,

 April, may, june, sept : every day from 10.am to 12 .30.pm - from 1.30.pm to 6.30pm

july et august : from 10.am to 12.30.pm and from 2.30.pm to 7.pm

october to nov : from 10.am to 12 .30.pm - from 1.30.pm to 5.30pm

 

Town hall of St Père – 89450 St Père

Tél. ( archaeological site): 03 86 33 37 36 – Tél. (museum) 03 86 33 37 31 Out of season Tél (town hall) 03 86 33 26 62 – mairie.saint-pere@wanadoo.fr - www.saint-pere.fr

Pierre-Perthuis (6 Km from Vezelay)

To visit : village, church and two bridges over the cure

(free visit)

Pierre-Perthuis is made up of two hamlets on both sides of the river "La Cure" : Pierre-Perthuis and Précy-le-Moult, on a ground where consort granite, arkose and limestone. In Pierre-Perthuis, we can see the remains of a fortified castle and a gate from 12th century. In sheer on the Cure, the small church Saint-Léonard is surrounded by the cemetery. There, the throats of the Cure are crossed by two bridges, one dated from 1874 with a single arch with 33 meters high and the second « en dos d’âne » dated from 1770. Following the walking trail GR13, along la Cure, we discorver the ruins of an old mill "moulin Gingon". Downstream is the the site "de la Roche percée" a natural arch, 6 meters high, giving the village it's name.The top of the arch is hung with a rich mountain flora.

 

Chamoux  ( 7 Km from Vezelay)

to visit : village, church, spring (free visit) Cardoland (no free visit)

The Borough is spread out along a narrow wooded small valley named « la vallée de glace ». the church renovated in the 19th century is surmounted by a bell-tower dated from1844 which rests on foundation from 12th century.


Cardoland. Parc préhistorique imaginaire.

In a forest of 10 hectares, Cardo, creative plastics technician, artist, carves an imaginary prehistoric universe : a lagoon and its fauna, rhinoceros of merck, the great stegosaure,bears of the caves... and the man of cro-magnon, all natural size. A 20 meters length diplodocus is in buiding in 2005. A museum (paleontology, Prehistory) , a decorated cave and three new dinosaurs were create

Open from 1st april to 11th november ; from1st june to 31st august, monday to friday :10.am to 7.pm

 on saturday from 1.30.pm to 7.pm, on sunday from 10.am to 7.pm ; Out of season from 1.30pm to 6.pm.

Cardoland (D 951), 89660 Chamoux.

Tél. 03 86 33 28 33 -  fax 03 86 33 29 28

Asnières-sous-bois (9 Km from Vezelay)

To visit : village and church (free visit)

Enclosed in teh small valley of "ru de Chamoux", amind woods, the borough of Asnières is divided into two : the low village, at the edge of water with its two wash houses and the high village with its beautiful public place serving the church Saint-Sulpice of roman and new-roman style restored in 17 th century(inside, statues in wood polychrome from 16th and 17th centuries),  the former priory flanked with a tower with drain-hole and the town hall.

Bazoches ( 10 Km from Vezelay)

To visit : village and church (free visite) – Castle (no free visit)

Castle of Bazoches

The feudal castle of Bazoches (12 th century)) built on a trapezoïdal plan, was acquired by Marshal of Vauban in 1675. He settled there his research department. The castle flanked of four round towers and a square keep, have submited little modifications since the 12th century. Important labours have set in again its aspect from the 17th century. 

 

daily open from 25th march to 5th november, from 9.30.am to 12.am and from 2.15am to 6.pm

(at 5 .pm from 1st october) ; in jully and august from 9.30.am to 6.pm.

 

Château de Bazoches, 58190 Bazoches

Tél. 03 86 22 10 22 -  fax 03 86 22 12 37

chateau.bazoches@wanadoo.fr - www.chateau-bazoches.com

Sauvigny-le-Bois (22 Km from Vezelay and 7 Km from Avallon)

Museum of the state president's car (no free visit)

In the restored stables of the castle of Montjan, the museum presents some thirty marvellous and parade cars which have been used by french presidents :

Général de Gaulle, Giscard d’Estaing- US Présidents : Eisenhower, John Kennedy - USSR président : Brejnev. There is also a Popemobile…

The park of the castle is open to the public and offers a breathtaking view.

 

Open every day all year round from 9.am to 7.pm

 

Château de Montjalin – 89200 Sauvigny-le-Bois

Tél. 03 86 34 46 42 – fax  03 86 31 66 83

odelafon@aol.comwww.voitures-presidentielles.com


Lincoln Continental du président Kennedy (1961)

Arcy sur Cure (à 19 km de Vézelay)

Grottes d'Arcy sur Cure (Caves)

Hight place of the préhistory - Visit-walk commented of one hour in the heart of the earth

Opened by the end of march till november the 11th from 10.am to12.am and from 2.pm to 5.30pm

july and august from 10.am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 6.pm

Open all year round for groups on reservation

Grottes d'Arcy - RN6 - 89270 Arcy-sur-Cure

tél : 03 86 81 90 63 - 06 68 95 12 22 - fax : 03 86 81 91 07

www.grottes-arcy.net - grottes-arcy@orange.fr

Clamecy ( 23 km fromVézelay)
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Romain Rolland

At 20 mn from Vézelay, discover a museum of France strangely rich . Roman Rolland's recollections, Charles Loupot's posters, fine art, donation François Mitterrand, archaeology, history of the floating of the wood, the earthenwares. Label " tourism and handicap "

Open from 10.am to 12.am and from 2.pm to 6.pm
-from october to may : every day except on monday, tuesday and sunday morning
- from june to september : every day except on tuesday and sunday morning

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire R Rolland - Avenue de la République - 58500 Clamecy
Tél . 03 86 27 17 99 - fax 03 86 27 12 72
museedeclamecy@wanadoo.fr - www.musees-bourgogne.org

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