Roads Less Traveled

Having an extended period in Auxonne has given us the opportunity to investigate some of the surrounding area. For the moment, our explorations have been limited to places that are within a comfortable biking distance of the boat. (With the e-bikes the pedaling is easy; the comfort factor relates to how long we can tolerate the seats.)  The furthest we've gone to this point is about 20 km (12 miles) one way. 

Our first outing after getting the electrical issues straightened out was on Wednesday, August 9, to the village of Saint-Bris le Vineux. The route out of Auxerre took us southeast on a bike route along the eastern shore (right bank) of the Nivernais Canal/Yonne River to the town of Augy, where we turned away from the water and had a relatively long uphill climb on a major road (although not dangerously busy) before arriving at Saint-Bris le Vineux. 

Being in the Chablis region, the area around Saint-Bris
 le Vineux has lots of vineyards.

The town's name is derived from Saint Prix, a Christian martyr of the 3rd century, who was beheaded in the town of Puisaye. A Christian disciple of Saint Prix fled with Saint Prix's head to what is now known as Saint-Bris, where he, too, was martyred and later became known as Saint Cot. Saint Germain, the first bishop of Auxerre in the early 5th century, discovered their burial place and established the first church on the site. During the French Revolution (and its secularization of many things religious) the town was renamed Bris-le-Vineux because of the town's significant involvement in the wine industry. In the early 1900's "Saint" was again appended to the name.

The village has a charming, medieval vibe, with narrow winding streets, timbered houses, multiple wine makers, and the stunning Saint-Prix Saint-Cot Church. On the day we were there it was very quiet. Whether that is typical for the village in mid-week, or due to residents being away on their August "vacances", we're not sure. It was still a lovely place to spend an hour or two. When we went through the church I had a sense of "deja vu", for good reason as it turned out. When we were at the DBA barge rally in 2017, one of the field trips was to a Chablis vineyard, followed by a wine cave tour (with wine tasting) and church visit in a small village near Auxerre. Turns out the village was Saint-Bris-le-Vineux. Usually my memory for place names is better--I am blaming information overload for the lapse!

The current church building dates from the 12th through
the 16th centuries.

A portion of the west facade of the church and
its neighborhood.

The back of the church and the adjoining Renaissance portal.

To the left, a portion of the church interior. To the right, the
pride of the church, an immense wall painting from 1500 of the
 "Tree of Jesse", a representation of the genealogy
of Jesus going back to Jesse, father of King David.

The 15th century baptismal font and its copper
cover. On the wall, a portion of a 15th century
altar piece in wood.

The enclosed bones are said to be authenticated relics of Saints
Prix and Cot. The reliquary is from the late 1800's, the original
containers having been seized during the Revolution and likely
melted down.

The Chapel of Saint Cot from the 14th century. The Merovingian-era
sarcophagus to the right, dated to the 5th or 6th century, was said to
 have held the relics of Saint Cot. In former times, mothers would
come to lay their sick children on the sarcophagus and pray
that the saint would heal them.

Lots of opportunities for wine tasting in town.

A beautifully-restored timbered house, and one that
is being rebuilt after having been stripped down
 to the timbers and stone.

The facades of many of the old village houses had inlaid stone
decorations.

So much to see and only a 10 km (6 mile) cycle ride from Auxerre!

On Friday, August 11, we paid a visit to the medieval village of Cravant, located about 12 miles up the Nivernais Canal from Auxerre. We had originally hoped to visit Cravant when we were cruising the Nivernais in late July, but the electrical issues forced us to turn around before we could get there. Less than an hour on bike trails that followed the canal were a great way to try to recover some of what we'd missed.

The sunflowers are depressed, their heads drooping because they've
lost their yellow color and they know that the end of summer
is rapidly approaching.

The village of Cravant was economically powerful during the Middle Ages, thanks to its location at the confluence of the Cure and Yonne Rivers, its port, and its bridge. On July 31, 1423, it was the site of The Battle of Cravant, one of the battles of the Hundred Years War. English and Burgundian forces fought the French and their Scottish allies outside the town gates. It didn't end well for the French-Scots--they lost about 4500 men in the battle.

Commemorating the Battle of Cravant.

The church of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul (mostly 16th century,
with some traces going back to the 13th).

The 14th century Belfry/Watchtower, which was part
of the medieval town fortifications.

To the left, an interesting old house. On the right, part of our
view during lunch at the cafe "O Jouvence".

Anyone interested in buying a castle keep? The 13th century Cravant "donjon" is for sale. Location,
location, location: it's next to a (somewhat) more modern historical wash house.

We stayed close to "home" on Saturday and finally took the tour of the crypt in the Saint-Germain Abbey church. If this were Paris, we would probably have had to book the tour in advance to guarantee a spot. This being Auxerre, despite all the wonderful things to see, there really isn't a huge tourist presence other than those on rental boats who stop for a night or two. So, we had the tour guide on the English-language tour all to ourselves.

The abbey dates back to the 5th century and was a former Benedictine monastery dedicated to its founder, Saint Germain of Auxerre. However, the oldest of the preserved buildings is the Carolingian crypt that dates back to the 9th century and was built around the burial site of Saint Germain. What is unique about the crypt are the well-preserved frescoes from the mid-800's that had been covered up with plaster in the 17th century and were only rediscovered in the early 1900's. The frescoes are the oldest surviving large-scale paintings of this type in France. The crypt also serves as a necropolis for the men who served as bishops in Auxerre from the 5th to the 9th centuries, after which the St. Etienne cathedral began to be used for that purpose.

Some of the frescoes. At the upper right is a fresco that depicts
the stoning of Stephen (from Book of Acts in the New Testament). 

On the left, the view toward the chapel from the perspective of
the tomb of Saint Germain. On the right, the view toward the 
tomb of Saint Germain from the perspective of the chapel. The 
sarcophagus is said to be the "original", but the body of Saint
Germain was removed from the church and burned during
 a desecration of the church by Huguenots in the late 1500's.

Three tombs of bishops in a "chapel"
 adjacent to the tomb of Saint Germain.
The two sarcophagi on the left are
5th century; the ossuary on the right 
is 9th century.

On Sunday, August 13, we realized that we'd been south and east and north of Auxerre on our area explorations, but had never gone to the west of Auxerre proper. It's not as though we saw any indication of "must see" sights, but simply wanted to see what was there. 

Gravel roads and farm fields. 

A lovely view of the village of Chevannes in the distance.

The church in Chevannes was very attractive outside, but was
closed to visitors. The nearby patisserie was open, and we enjoyed
some delicious pastries during a quick break from biking.

Two villages, two castles: The Chateau de
Villefargeau (top), currently an event venue,
 and the 16th C Chateau Ribourdin in Chevannes
 (bottom), a B&B with luxury guest rooms.

Isn't there a law against fall colors showing up in August?

Hmmmmm . . . 

We have some additional bike rides planned over the next couple of weeks, and perhaps a train ride or two to reach some towns that sound interesting, but are a little further afield. We've met some lovely boaters here at the port, so the social side of our summer continues to be pretty nice.