Incredibly beautiful medieval city located on a hilltop, with fortifications and towers from the 13th to 15th centuries. Once an impregnable fortress. Many ancient houses surrounded by small vineyards serve as a picturesque frame for the impressive cathedral – a monument of architecture from the 13th to 16th centuries. The whole city is a unified whole, revealing itself from afar – one of the most striking in all of France. It takes your breath away and you don’t want to leave.
Tanlay Castle. A gem of Renaissance architecture, grown from a medieval castle. The old fortifications have preserved moats, beautifully filled with water. An exquisite courtyard, unique shapes of individual buildings, the harmony of the entire architectural ensemble…
In the 1st century, the castle belonged to the Coligny family, who led the Protestants. Admiral Coligny was killed during the St. Bartholomew’s Night.
Today, part of the castle is a museum, part is private. The museum has preserved unique interiors of salons and living rooms. Of particular interest is the rotunda, where conspirators gathered and from where a secret passage led outside the castle.
One of the most striking castles in Burgundy.
Annecy Le Franc Castle. This castle is considered the best Renaissance palace in Burgundy. It belonged to Anne-François de Poyet – the sister of the famous mistress of Henry II. The palace was built in 1546 according to the design of the Italian architect Serlio, invited to the court by French King Francis I.
Throughout its history, the castle has been owned by several ancient aristocratic families. Between the pilasters of the ground floor, one can read the family motto of the Clermont-Tonnerre family: “If everyone has betrayed you, I have not,” reminding that in the 12th century, Count Sibo de Clermont, the owner of the castle, helped restore the papal throne to Pope Callixtus II.
The current owners of the castle – the princes de Merod – carefully preserve the authentic atmosphere of the 16th century in its interiors. It is a unique monument of the brilliant Renaissance era with enfilades of beautifully restored interiors, where, for example, the Salon of Arts was painted by Primaticcio, and the magnificent Hall of Guards was created specifically for receptions of Henry III…
The park was designed by Le Nôtre – the creator of the Versailles park and the French style of landscape art…
Fontenay Abbey. If you want to visit a real 13th-century monastery, there is probably no more impressive place in France than this abbey. A Cistercian monastery, hidden in forests and fields, striking in its harmony and beauty, restored to how it was during the period corresponding to the beginning of the Tatar-Mongol yoke in Russia, – one of the most intimate, sacred places in France. You will learn about the struggle between the two main monastic currents of the Middle Ages – Cluniac and Cistercian. Their rivalry largely determined the history of France and the emergence of monastic orders…
Epouas Castle. Powerful walls (15th century) and moats. A dovecote from the 15th century, a church, and residential buildings (15th-18th centuries). It was owned by famous French families. It is still inhabited today.
