Elsewhere in the Mâconnais...
A protected edifice from before the year 1000, the Abbey Saint-Philibert.
While Lugny is well situated inside the heart of the Haut-Mâconnais, it is also very close to two other attractive regions: the Tournugeois and the Clunisois, centered around two abbey: that of Tournus, and of Cluny, respectively. The abbey of Cluny was once the biggest of the whole Catholic
The castle of Brancion's dungeon, peaking at 399 meters.
At the west is Ozenay, a little village with the old genuine roman church. And a little further to the west is Brancion, name become famous because of its fortified castle, which was partly destroyed by the religion wars, kept its dungeon offering an opened view over the Clunisois; and while the town used to be surrounded by fortified walls, it has still kept its Middle Ages feel, with for example the church Saint-Peter. Closer to the Clunisois is Blanot, a very cute (and old) village where the time seems to have stopped, known for its caves and the hill "Mont Saint-Romain" offering a 360 degree view over the Mâconnais (and, further, the Beaujolais), the Clunisois (and, beyond, the Charolais), and the Bresse, detaching over the mountains of the Jura.
The church of Taizé, called "de la Réconciliation".
A few kilometers only from Blanot lies Taizé, name of a spiritual community, whose name, since its creation in 1944 by the swiss pastor Roger Schutz, has gotten famous in the Christian world. It is an ecumenical community, which means it gathers all the christian churches.
The castle of Cormatin, from its garden.
Going towards Cluny, after stopping by Chapaize to contemplate its church, and the remains of the old nunnery, we arrive at Cormatin, one of the most attractive town of Burgundy, and for one good reason: its castle, one of the better conserved edifice with the most luxury suites coming from the Louis XIII era, a huge park, a labyrinth, and so much more to discover there!
The remains of the huge abbey of Cluny, barely a tenth of its past size.
Finally we arrive in Cluny, past capital of a monastic empire (leading 1200 monasteres and over ten thousand monks). The third abbey built, now known as Cluny III, was called the Maior Ecclesia, as it constituted the greatest cultural building of all the Christian world until the inauguration of Saint-Peter's Basilica over five centuries later. Cluny III was 177 meters long, while St-Peter's is 186. The town is now known for its haras and equestrian sport.
A statue elevated by the inhabitants of Mâcon at the image of an old one of them, Alphonse de Lamartine.
While taking the direction of Mâcon, one goes through what became the "val lamartinien" (Lamartine's valley), small region which was particularly precious to the poet. Born in Mâcon in 1790, elected at the Académie française, lived in the castle of Saint-Point, and then in the castle of Monceau, this time in Prissé, little town close to Mâcon.
A famous outline: that of the Solutré rock (493 meters).
Not very far from there, perched in order to watch over the way from the Mâconnais to the Clunisois, looms (menacingly) the greatest fort of South Burgundy, the castle of Berzé-le-Châtel, nearly intact from the Middle Ages. This place is also the location of one of France's greatest archaeological sites: the Solutré rock. It even gave its name to a phase of the Paleolithique, the Solutrean (22 000 - 17 000 years before the present).
The bridge between Saint-Laurent and Mâcon, a way from the Mâconnais to the Bresse.
One then arrives at Mâcon, pretty city built on the riverside of the Saône, marking the end of the department and the start of another, sheltering the region called Bresse. A town well known for its wines, as well, each spring entering a contest followed by tons of winemakers: the famous contest of the Grands Vins de France.