Attractions and Places To See around Vincelles - Top 20

The extremely impressive church in Cravant was dedicated to the two SAINTS "PIERRE et PAUL". They are also known as the "Princes of the Apostles" and their common feast day in the calendar of saints is June 29th. * Simon, nicknamed Peter (Rock), was a fisherman on Lake Genesareth when he - together with his brother Andrew - was called by Jesus Christ to be a "fisher of men". According to Catholic understanding, he is the highest apostle and the two thousand year long line of popes - currently Francis - are his successors. In statues and paintings, Peter is almost always depicted with two keys in his hand; this attribute refers to the Bible verse in Matthew: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Chapter 16, Verse 19). * Paul was initially an opponent of the Christian movement and was not called to the apostleship of Jesus Christ during his lifetime like the other apostles, but was only converted later with the famous "Damascus experience". His attribute is the sword with which he was executed. According to the Roman law of the time, such a sentence was a "privilege" (quick death and not, like other types of execution, associated with a long, painful death struggle) that was available to the citizens of Rome.

The stronghold of Belombre was the seat of part of the lordship of Escolives held, in 1507, by the lieutenant general of Auxerre, Blanchet David. Marie David brought it to Jacques de Meung dit de La Ferté, who died on June 4, 1589, massacred by the Leaguers of Auxerre. Madeleine de La Ferté Meung, her granddaughter, transmitted Bellombre to the La Bussière family and Catherine de La Bussière brought it to the Girard d'Azy family. The children of Paul de Girard sold it, around 1656, to François de Chastellux, who ceded this first half of Escolives in 1670, to Robert Chaponnel, Receiver General of Finances. He died on October 28, 1678 without issue, while he was undertaking the reconstruction of the castle. Anne Robineau, receiver general of Finances in Provence, who carried out the project developed by Chaponnel and built a new castle on the land surrounded by a moat on the site of the medieval manor. In 1709, Louis Gayot, buyer, united the two shares of the land of Escolives before selling the Château de Bélombre in November 1726, to Joseph Le Muet, King's attorney in the bailiwick of Auxerre. Rosalie Le Muet married in 1804, Jean Jacques Claude Baudenet d'Annoux. Their son, Louis-Hugues, who feared the dangerous invasions of the waters of the Yonne, decided to demolish the castle which he rebuilt on vast basements around 1870. The estate is located on the left bank of the canal. It is a large single-story building. Corner chains and harped stone legs support the entablature and an attic floor in the overhang of the broken roof. The moat and the stone bridge decorated with elegant 18th century ironwork have been preserved. (1) MH protected elements: facades and roofs; water pit ; the pillars of the entrance gate; the vestibule and the interior staircase with its wrought iron banister: registration by decree of December 6, 1977. The facades and roofs of the outbuildings; the terrace located to the southwest of the castle and the sleeping bridge; the bridge thrown over the moat, in front of the northeast facade of the castle; the gardens surrounding the castle; the perspective alley and the double water alley: registration by decree of June 7, 1993 The Chateau de Belombre 89290 Escolives-Sainte-Camille, private property, cannot be visited.

The church belongs to the monastery of Saint-Eusèbe, founded by Saint Palladius, bishop of Auxerre from 622 to 657. It was placed under monument protection in 1862. This church is also open during the day and can be visited free of charge, which is definitely worth doing. The associated monastery was founded around 640 and was often attacked or even destroyed, so the monks abandoned it and the monastery became the property of Auxerre Cathedral. It lay about 150 m southeast of the 3rd century fortress that surrounded the city at the time and was not incorporated into the city until 1196 with the construction of the second wall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint-Eus%C3%A8be,_Auxerre

The cathedral is open for tours during the day and this is not to be missed! It is a major work of French Gothic architecture and impresses with its high, light-flooded vaults and colorful windows. "The cathedral is located in the center of the old town on a hill above the Yonne. Saint-Étienne was begun in 1215. Today's Gothic cathedral is the fifth building on this site. In 1567 the Huguenots sacked the city and the cathedral, which necessitated repairs, particularly to the choir glazing. The French Revolution caused countless damage to the building and its furnishings. The goldsmith's work was melted down, the church was transformed into a temple of reason, and the important statue of the suffering Stephen on the high altar only escaped destruction because it was turned into a suffering Marat in the bath. In 1840 Prosper Mérimée placed the cathedral under monument protection. Extensive restoration work took place throughout the 19th century." Much more about the history here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathedrale_von_Auxerre

View of the 18th century castle from the cycle path.

The Saint Pierre Saint Paul church is a remarkable building. It has a unique architecture in Burgundy. Its impressive dimensions remind us that Cravant was a city of more than 3000 inhabitants. The church then belonged to the bishops of Auxerre who came there regularly and did everything to make it beautiful and imposing. The interior of the church, with its nave, its Renaissance choir, its chapels, its keystones and its vaulted ceilings, bears witness to its prestigious past. It was built in the 9th century, enlarged in the 12th century then rebuilt at the end of the 16th century. https://www.bourgogne-tourisme.com/abbayes-et-autre-edifices-religieux/eglise-de-saint-pierre-et-saint-paul-de-cravant-3

Rue du Temple also begins here heading south. The Templars had a headquarters on this street. There are a lot of small shops there and of course many beautiful houses. What you can't see at first glance is the entrance to a relatively large supermarket. The Monoprix food department is hidden behind the clothing department, which can be seen from the square.

Saint Stephen (Saint Etienne), to whom Auxerre Cathedral is dedicated, is one of the seven first deacons of the early Jerusalem community and is also the first martyr (martyr) of early Christianity. The church remembers him on Boxing Day, December 26th. When Stephen uttered his vision of the open heaven, "And being filled with the Holy Spirit, he looked up into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts chapter 7 verse 55), the people were so indignant that that they drove him out of the city and stoned him.