The best walks and hikes around Fontenailles

The village of Charentenay in which we find the Saint-Laurent de Charentenay church, a church topped by a fortified tower. The aisles of the church were redone in the 16th century. Small

The Notre-Dame church, in flamboyant Gothic style, was built in the 15th and 16th centuries by the Ulmes and Beaujeu families, entirely vaulted. Note: a chill. It is in a fairly elegant ogival style, with three naves, from the 16th century. Its length in work is 44.40 m; its nave width of 13.35 m; the width of the sanctuary is 6.66 m; the general height of the vault, 11.90 m. Thirteen stained glass windows, representing scenes from the Old and New Testaments, or saints (including Saint Nicholas and Saint Edward the Confessor), are arranged around the main altar. Wikipedia: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouanne_(Yonne)

A very large church for this small town, which only has around 600 inhabitants. Unfortunately the church was locked. At the back I saw smashed, painted glass windows. If you look halfway up the tower, you can see empty niches where the figures of saints are missing.

City of character which deserves to be among the most beautiful villages in France with a little more development. To have : 1 - the castle and the small surrounding village after a beautiful climb from the village. 2 - the pond hidden behind the houses in the center. A quiet corner with a beautiful overview of the village. There you will understand where the name Belles Fontaines comes from.

It was only at the end of the 12th century that the current castle of Druyes appears in the texts. Previously, during the 11th century, a first wooden castle would have been built on the site of the said castle. Druyes is part of the first generation of castles from the time of King Philippe Auguste. It is built on a square plan of 52.3 meters per side. It is an imposing building which is one of the most important specimens of military architecture from the Romanesque period in Burgundy. Private property, the castle is open to visitors. It is reached by crossing the postern which is the gateway to the fortified village, where absolute calm seems to reign. The castle dominates the town of character of Druyes Les Belles Fontaines, which deserves to be listed among the most beautiful villages in France, if it were a little better highlighted. Note a beautiful climb to climb from the village to the castle

Very nice walk made in May 2019. I recommend!

Fortified Gate - classified as a historic monument. This gate is part of the enclosure of the lower courtyard of the castle which crowned the rock overlooking the valley and dominating the only possible crossing of the river. A second gate existed on the current rue de la Rampe. The enclosure dates from the 12th century. It was protected, to the east, by four still visible towers, one of which has just been restored. On the west coast, the enclosure appears as a very large wall, 2 m thick and 4 m high. It is incorporated into gardens and houses, but still visible. It was lined with a dry ditch. The postern did not include a drawbridge. It was closed by a heavy double door, the stone pivot cups of which can still be seen in the lower part. The machicolations made it possible to throw stones at the attackers. They probably date from the 14th century. This door has been classified as a historic monument since May 9, 1888.

6th century: primitive church built by Saint-Romain, destroyed by a fire at the end of the 11th century. 12th century: current Romanesque church: very pure plan, three-bay nave with apses in the extension. Flat transsept. 14th century: construction of the Notre-Dame de la Pitié chapel on the lower north side. 15th century: construction of the defense tower enclosing the staircase, raising of the transept with the incorporation of Gothic glass roofs. 19th century: construction of the sacristy, installation of stained glass windows, transfer of the cemetery surrounding the church. Decoration in the portal and capitals, borrows from Arab and Roman styles. Bell installed in 1881 "Constance", diameter: 1.215 m, weight: 1066 kg replaces "Perette", dating from 1642. The church was classified as a historic monument on May 9, 1888.