Bourgogne tourisme

Yonne
in the mood for cultural discovery
©N. Clairaux
The main attraction of
this abey has to be the
venerable Carolingian
crypts built around the
tomb of Saint-Germain,
and their extremely
rare 9 th century
frescoes. However, the
ambitious restoration
works that have taken
place on the monastic buildings have brought a
number of other rooms of interest back to life
too. The pre-Romanesque narthex, demolished
in the 19 th century has been the focus of archaeological
digs since 1989. Together, this group of
buildings helps us to understand more about
fifteen centuries of history in Auxerre, as well as
about spiritual and intellectual life in the West.
The museum and abbey offer a full archaeological
journey through history with three floors of
exhibits from prehistory to the end of the Middle
Ages. www.auxerre.culture.gouv.fr
Around 1135, at a time when Romanesque
buildings were being created
everywhere, a new architect
designed an extensive cathedral for
Sens comprising a single continuous
space with a central nave and two
aisles. The design of the vaulting
was revolutionary with its crossed
diagonal ribs. Sens cathedral has
preserved a collection of stainedglass
windows which enable visitors
to retrace the history of stained-glass from the
13 th to the 19 th century. Its treasury, the richest in
France holds a number of famous pieces such as
tapestries, ancient fabrics, pieces of gold and
silverwork, enamels and ivory.
www.office-de-tourisme-sens.com
Cathedral of Saint-Etienne ©Service Communication Ville de Sens © Ville d'Auxerre - Abbaye Saint-Germain
This cathedral, of relatively modest proportions
but very elegant, is a gothic architecture masterpiece
of the 13 th century. It is the fifth church to
be built on this exceptional urban site overlooking
the River Yonne. All that remains of the
original stone 12 th century Romanesque church,
which was demolished to make way for this
Gothic building, is the crypt and its apsidal
chapel. The chapel is decorated with frescoes,
including a very rare depiction of Christ on
horseback dating from the end of the 11 th Century.
www.cathedrale-auxerre.com
A U.N.E.S.CO. World Heritage Site.
For more than 30
years, Vézelay has been
the top tourist attraction
in Yonne. The town's
prosperity only lasted
from the 10 th to the 13 th
century, when hundreds
of thousands of
Saint-Marie-Madeleine basilica, Vézelay © Idéal Productions
pilgrims, princes, kings, popes and saints came
to worship the relics of St Mary Magdalene
before leaving for Compostela or the Crusades.
This has been enough however for Vézelay to
earn a permanent place in the history of the
West, and with its Basilica, to live on as an
exceptionally high-quality example of the rise of
Romanesque architecture in Burgundy. The
Magdalene of Vézelay, is a building of impressive
proportions with a sumptuous sculpted decor,
but what is most striking to visitors is the
extraordinary lighting. To really appreciate your
visit of the Basilica, allow plenty of time. July 22
is the date of the Mary Magdalene pilgrimage
and in the summer there is a season of popular
concerts as part of the “Rencontres Musicales de
Vézelay” festival. www.vezelay.cef.fr
Out of ordinary -
My favourites
1 - 2, quai de la République - BP 30217 - 89003 Auxerre Cedex
Tél. 03 86 72 92 03 - Fax 03 86 72 92 09
presse@tourisme-yonne.com - www.tourisme-yonne.com/pro