Page 327 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

châteaux, the Palais Ducal has
a long Renaissance façade
framed by polygonal towers
and a broad esplanade. The
Romanesque 11th-century
Église St-Étienne has graceful
monolithic columns and a
wreath of radiating chapels.
In the crypt of the Gothic
Cathédrale St-Cyr is a 16th-
century sculpted Entombment
and found ations of a 6th-
century bap tistry, discovered
in 1944 after heavy bombing.
The contemporary stained-
glass is noteworthy.
The overlordship of Nevers
passed to the Gonzaga family
during the 16th century. They
brought with them an Italian
school of artists skilled in
Statuary in the vaulted faïence-making and glass-
Musée de la Faïance et blowing. The industry remains
Did You Know? des Beaux Arts and modern pottery is still
traditionally decorated in
Saulieu-born sculptor blue, white, yellow and green,
François Pompon ver sion of the story of Balaam with its curious trade mark,
gained fame at age 67 and his donkey waylaid by the green arabesque knot, or
for his L'Ours Blanc the Angel. noeud vert. It can best be seen
(White Bear). at the Musée de la Faïance et
des Beaux Arts.
y Just south of Nevers, the
19th-century Pont du Guetin
t Nevers carries the Loire Canal across
the Allier river. Industrial use
Saulieu ! E4 ⌂ Nièvre £  has waned, but it is still used
n Palais Ducal, rue
! E4 ⌂ Côte d’Or £  Sabatier; www.nevers- by pleasure craft. The church
n 24 Rue d’Argentine; tourisme.com at St-Parize-le-Châtel has a
www.saulieu.fr jolly menagerie sculpted onto
Like all Burgundian towns on the capitals of the crypt.
On the edge of the Morvan, the Loire, Nevers should be
Saulieu has been a shrine of approached from the west Musée de la Faïance
Burgundian cooking since the side of the river to see the et des Beaux Arts
17th century, when it was a noble site at its best angle. " ' ⌂ 16 rue St-Genest
staging post on the Paris to Though lacking historical # May–Sep: 10am–6pm Tue–
Lyon coach road. importance, the town has Sun; Oct–Apr: 1–5:30pm
Stylized animal sculptures much to offer. Considered Tue–Fri ∑ musee-faiance.
of François Pompon feature to be the earliest of the Loire nevers.fr
among the exhibits at the
Musée Pompon, which also
houses a collection of Gallo- THE GOLDEN AGE OF BURGUNDY
Roman stelae. The early While the French Capetian dynasty fought in the
12th-century Romanesque Hundred Years’ War, the dukes of Burgundy built up one
Basilique St-Andoche has of Europe’s most powerful states, which included
decorated capitals with Flanders and some parts of Holland. From the time of
representations of the Flight Philip the Bold (1342–1404), the ducal court became a
into Egypt and a comical cultural force, supporting many of Europe’s finest artists,
such as the sculptor Claus Sluter and painter Rogier van
der Weyden. The dominions of the duchy were, however,
broken up following the death of Duke Charles the Bold in
A misty stroll on a path 1477, with most of Burgundy annexed to France, and the
through the ancient northernmost part of the empire taken by the Habsburgs.
woodland of Morvan
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