Historical sites

Since 1944 the château has been owned by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Brotherhood of the Knights of the Tastevin). Ten years earlier in 1934 a small group of Burgundians met in a cellar in Nuits-Saint-Georges and decided to fight against the slump in wines and form a society whose aim was to promote the wines of France in general and, in particular, those of Burgundy.

The brotherhood was founded and its renown grew fast and spread throughout Europe and America. Each year several chapter meetings of the order, well known throughout the world, are held in the 12th century Great Cellar of the château. Five hundred guests take part in these banquets, at the end of which the Grand Master and the Grand Chancellor, surrounded by high dignitaries of the brotherhood, initiate new knights according to strictly observed rites that are based on the Divertissement in Molière’s Malade Imaginaire.

The Hôtel-Dieu was founded on 4 August 1443, when Burgundy was ruled by Duke Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon). The Hundred Years War had recently been brought to a close by the signing of the Treaty of Arras in 1435.

Massacres, however, continued with marauding bands (“écorcheurs”) still roaming the countryside, pillaging and destroying, provoking misery and famine. The majority of the people of Beaune were declared destitute. Nicolas Rolin, the Duke’s Chancellor, and his wife Guigone de Salins, reacted by deciding to create a hospital and refuge for the poor.

The Abbaye de Fontenay was founded in 1118 by Saint Bernard and it one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Europe. Up to the 16th century the abbey was prosperous with more than 300 monks and converts, but the regime of Commendam – abbots nominated by royal favour and interested only in revenues – and the disorders caused by the religious wars brought about a rapid decline.

The abbey was sold during the French Revolution and became a paper mill. In 1906 new owners undertook to restore Fontenay to its original appearance. They tore down the parts which had been added for the paper mill and rebuilt the abbey just as it was in the 12th century.

The many fountains from which the abbey takes its name are today the most beautiful ornaments of the gardens surrounding the buildings: these were added in 1981 to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Visitor can discover the church, dormitory, cloister, forge, gardens and much more.

Alise-Ste-Reine, also known as Alésia, is situated on the steep slopes of Mont Auxois between the Oze and the Ozerain valleys overlooking the plain of Les Laumes. After his defeat at Gergovie (near Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne) in the spring of 52 BC, Caesar retreated towards the north to join forces with the legions of his lieutenant, Labienus, near Sens.

Once the legions were united they began marching towards the Roman base camps, but on the way they were intercepted and attacked near Alésia by the army of the Gauls, under Vercingétorix. Despite the surprise of their attack and their superior numbers, the Gauls suffered a crushing defeat, and Vercingétorix, fleeing from Caesar, decided to retreat with his remaining troops to the camp at Alésia.

A memorable siege began. Caesar’s legions worked with pick and shovel to surround the camp with a double line of fortified earthworks, such as trenches, walls, palisades of stakes and towers: the inner ring or earthworks faced Alésia and was designed to prevent any attempts on the part of the besieged to escape, and the outer ring faced outwards to fight off any attacks from Gaulish armies trying to relieve the besieged camp.

Off the beaten track in a small wooded valley in the Morvan region, surrounded by a formal garden in the French style, Château de Bussy-Rabutin boasts a decoration designed by Roger de Rabutin, count of Bussy.

Cousin to Madame de Sévigné and author of l’Histoire amoureuse des Gaules (the loving history of the Gauls), Roger de Rabutin expressed his resentment towards Louis XIV and the nostalgia of his turbulent love affairs on the walls of his château while he was exiled in Burgundy.

The château is open to visitors all year around from 9:15 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm (closed on Mondays). Source of content: Bussy-Rabutin

The château is set slightly apart from the village and is enclosed by two fortified precincts ringed by dry moats. The building in the outer courtyard form a small village clustered round the church, once part of a 12th century abbey and a robust 16th century dovecot.

A balustraded terrace precedes the court of honour, which is marked by the presence of a well with an attractive wrought-iron well-head. The château was remodelled in the 16th and 17th century and southern range was demolished during the Revolution.

The Guitaut family, owners of the chateau since the 17th century, has preserved many mementos of famous people who have stayed there. When in Burgundy, Madame de Sévigné often stayed at Epoisses, with the Guitaut family, as her own château.

This 12th century stronghold was transformed in the 15th century by a chamberlain to Philip the Bold who later became commander of the artillery under John the Fearless. The huge enclosure and château were rebuilt many times over the centuries.

It is one of the rare châteaux that have been in the same family since the 12th century (Vinne, Damas, Vogüé). Since 1967 the count and countess Louis de Vogüé, the 25th generation owners, live at the château.

The château has a rich décor of wall tapestries. The château is open from April to November from 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm. There are guided tours that last for about 30 minutes. The gardens are open for visits all year round and are open from 8 am to 6 pm.

Source of content: Château de Commarin website/Wonderful Burgundy.

The château commanded the road from Dijon to Autun and the whole of the surrounding plain. In the 12th century, the lord of Chaudenay, whose ruined château stands on an attractive site in Chaudenay-le-Château, built this fortress for his son.

It was enlarged and refurbished at the end of the 15th century in the Flamboyant Gothic style by Philippe Pot, Seneschal of Burgundy. There is an identical replica of the tomb of Philippe Pot (which was found in Citeaux but later moved to the Louvre).

In 1936 it was presented to the French State by its owner at the time, count G. de Vogüé. The château is open for visitors from May to November from 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Content source: Michelin’s Burgundy/Jura The Green Guide.

Built in the twelfth century, halfway up a wooded hill, upon the site of an old Roman post on the gateway to Morvan, with a direct view on Vezelay (at 10 km), the feudal Château de Bazoches, has a trapezoidal architecture made up of four towers and a keep surrounding an inner courtyard. The Château de Bazoches was the home of the engineer and architect Sébastien le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban, famous for his military fortifications under the reign of Louis XIV.