The core of mediaeval Burgundy, famed today for its fine wines, once straddled the middle reaches of the Saône Valley, with the Duchy to the west of the river and the Free Country (Franche Comté) to the east. From 1363 to 1477 the old Duchy – with the court of Dijon at its heart – became the focus of one of the most influential polities of the Middle Ages, extending its authority as far north as the Netherlands.
This tour pays tribute to some of Europe’s most treasured Romanesque monuments: the once-imposing abbey at Cluny; the later foundation abbeys of the Cistercian order at Citeaux, Clairvaux and Pontigny; the great cathedrals at Autun and Dijon; and the sumptuous pilgrimage centre of Vézelay, where the 12th century Basilique Ste Madeleine is a tour de force of the Burgundian Romanesque.
The pioneering church at Tournus and the sculptural wonder of Autun also feature on our itinerary. Equally significant, though often neglected, are the clusters of parish churches in the Mâconnais and Brionnais.
We will view Gothic art in its emergent form at the almost complete Cistercian abbey of Fontenay, and in its late flowering at Brou. Beaune holds one of the greatest of Flemish masterpieces by van der Weyden, and the former ducal palace in Dijon proudly displays great sculptures by Claus Sluter alongside an absorbing picture collection.
In Beaune we stay at the Hostellerie Le Cèdre, a beautiful hotel renowned for its superb food and fine service. We then move to Vézelay for two nights at the Hotel de la Poste et du Lion d’Or, a traditional, old-fashioned French establishment.
Date: Please contact ACE |
Cost: Please contact ACE |
Lecturer: Malcolm Oxley |
Course Code: MBUR11 |
Itinerary
Day 1 Depart St Pancras 0750 by Eurostar and TGV via Paris to Dijon, arriving 1545. Transfer by coach to Beaune for five nights at Hostellerie Le Cèdre.
Day 2 Beaune: Hotel Dieu (van der Weyden’s Last Judgment), wine tasting at local cellar. Afternoon in Autun: 12th century Cathedral of St Lazare (Romanesque sculptures by Gisilbertus), Musée Rolin (Burgundian Romanesque sculpture).
Day 3 Whole-day excursion via Malay, Chapaize, Lancherre (Romanesque village churches) to Cluny (abbey remains) and Berze la Ville (retreat of abbots of Cluny with spectacular Romanesque frescoes).
Day 4 Whole-day excursion via church of Perrecy les Forges to Paray le Monial (12th century Romanesque basilica), Anzy le Duc (church of St Martin), St Julien de Jonzy, Semur en Brionnais (parish church).
Day 5 Whole-day excursion to St Philibert at Tournus (one of greatest Romanesque abbeys) and Bourg en Bresse (Flamboyant church).
Day 6 Dijon: cathedral, Musée des Beaux Arts (former ducal palace) followed by 12th century Fontenay (one of Europe’s most unspoiled Cistercian abbeys). Transfer to Hotel de la Poste et du Lion d’Or, Vézelay, for two nights.
Day 7 Auxerre: Gothic cathedral of St Etienne (Romanesque crypt), great Cistercian abbey at Pontigny. Afternoon in Vézelay: La Madeleine (great pilgrimage church and abbey).
Day 8 Depart Vézelay via Sens Cathedral (one of France’s earliest Gothic structures) for Paris. Depart Paris 1505 by Eurostar, arriving St Pancras 1635.
Cost
Cost includes: return travel, accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, breakfast & dinner (with wine), excursions & admissions.
Not included: travel insurance, single room supplement.