Castles and Chateaux of Old BurgundyMansfield, M. F. (Milburg Francisco)
History
Castles and Chateaux of Old Burgundy
Mansfield, M. F. (Milburg Francisco)
Burgundy (France) -- Description and travel; Castles -- France -- Burgundy
"_Démène-toi, tourne toi, vire toi,_
_Tu ne trouveras pas plus beau que moi._"
Épinac, too, is noted for its bottles, the fat-bellied, ample litres in
which ripe old Burgundy is sold. "_Dame Jeans_" and "_flacons_" are here
made by millions, which is only another way of referring to demijohns
and bottles. Of their variety of shapes and sizes one may judge by the
song the workers sing as they ply their trade:
"_Messieurs, messieurs, laissez nous faire_
_On vous en donnera de toutes les façons._"
The glass industry of Épinac, if not as old as its chateau, at least
dates from the very earliest days of the art.
Retracing one's steps some forty kilometres to Chalon-sur-Saône one
comes midway to Chagny. The railroad guides chiefly make mention of
Chagny as a junction where one is awakened at uncomfortable hours in the
night to change cars. Some of us who have passed frequently that way can
call attention to the fact that Chagny possesses, among other wonders,
certain architectural glories which are worthy of consideration by even
the hurried twentieth century traveller.
Here is a fine twelfth century Roman tower, a former dependency of some
civic establishment, but now serving as the _clocher_ of the church, a
svelt but all imposing square broad-based tower of the local manor from
which the seigneur of other days, even though he was not a "grand
seigneur," stretched forth his velvet-clad iron hand in mighty
benediction over his good men and true.
Besides this there is a monstrosity of a cupola of the modern chateau
which is hideous and prominent enough to be remarked from miles around.
Clearly, then, Chagny is much more than a railway junction. No one who
stops more than a passing hour here will regret it, although its
historic shrines are not many nor beautiful to any high degree.
CHAPTER XI
MÂCON, CLUNY AND THE CHAROLLAIS
Mâcon is a name well known to travellers across France, but its
immediate environs are scarcely known at all save as they are recognized
as a region devoted to the product of the vine. For a fact the romantic
and historic lore which abounds within a short radius of the capital of
the Mâconnais makes it one of the most interesting regions of
mid-France.
Lying just to the westward is the Charollais, whose capital, Charolles,
the ancient fortress of the Comtes de Charolles, is surrounded by a
veritable girdle of castles and donjons, the nearest two kilometres
beyond the town. They formed in their prime an outer line of defence
behind which the counts lived in comparative safety. Montersine, the
nearest of these works, a vast rectangular donjon with _echauguettes_,
must certainly have been the most formidable. Within ten leagues are the
chateaux of Lugny, Rambeauteau and Corcheval--one of the most ancient
of the Charollais. There are also Terreaux-à-Verostres, the Renaissance
Chaumont at Saint-Bonnet-de-Joux and, finally, the fortress of
Commune-sur-Martigny-le-Comte.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account