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TOURNUS ABBEY
Wine and Architecture in Southern Burgundy

The most identifiable feature of Tournus, the small city on the Saone River halfway between Macon and Chalon-sur-Saone is its magnificent Abbey and Eglise of St. Philibert with its powerful but elegant façade and tower standing strong over this village in the heart of the Southern Burgundy wine growing region. The Abbey at Tournus is the oldest of Burgundy’s major Romanesque churches and one of the best preserved. Abbey Cluny a few kilometers away, was significantly more important in the early Christian world, but is now mostly a city size ruin (see Abbey Cluny). Tournus, though more compact, has remained for the most part substantially unchanged in overall form since first erected in the 10th and reconstructed in the 12th Century with some additions over time, a beautiful example of the pre-Gothic period with its alternating color arches and pink toned stonework creating a warm glow of light in its high windowed nave, one of the best examples of the style in central France. The attached cloisters of the monastery, refectory, chapel room and cellar give the living feeling of sandaled, hooded monks going about their prayers. In fact, it was only in 2002 that during some restoration work that a medieval mosaic from the 12th Century depicting a zodialogical calendar representing man’s labor in connection with God’s time was discovered, one of very few from this period discovered still in place. And further restoration work is on-going.

Tournus is far more than its famous Abbey. The morning sun rises across the Saone River casting an artist’s light on the old town which stands on the north- south road through Burgundy wine country, following the calm river, a tributary of the mighty Rhone. Tournus is a popular stop for river and canal cruising through southern Bourgogne, as the Saone gently flows past one fortified city after another. Tournus is home to 17 restuarants with local character, several of gourmet quality, featuring wines from the surrounding Saone & Loire department. Tournus can make an ideal base for wine tasting touring around the southern Burgundy region, home of the Beujolais and Chardonnay varietals. Several chateaux dot the green hill landscape among the vines (see Chateau de Cormatin and Brancion). The Voie Verte cycling path can be pedaled from here (see Velo Museum).

Hotel Accomodations in Tournus

The Hotel de Grueze is located directly across from the Abbey and next to the Museum of Jean-Baptiste Grueze. Several of the rooms typifying old world France elegance have views of the lighted Abbey Tower at night with a beautifully situated garden restaurant. The Hotel de Grueze is a short walk from the Gare Tournus rail station (the nearest TGV stop is either Chalon-sur-Saone to the north or Macon to the south) and the A6 motorway from Lyon to Dijon directly passes Tournus if traveling by car. Book best rates guaranteed through Best Western.

The Le Rempart Hotel is located on the main road N6 two blocks from the Abbey. Originally a guard house from the 15th Century built into the walls of the old city, the hotel has been completed renovated with a mix of past glory and modern style elegance, a Chateaux and Hotels de France listed property with a gourmet restauranant of French cuisine.

The Hotel Le Sauvage is a good bargain stay between the Abbey and the center of the village, also on the major route N6. A very nice 3-star hotel with restaurant, not quite the upper-scale elegance of the Rempart and Grueze hotels, but conveniently located if traveling by car with warm friendly service and a nice in-house restaurant, or easy walk to the old city. © Bargain Travel Europe

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See Also:

CHATEAU FLEURVILLE
Chateau Hotel in South Burgundy

CHÂTEAU DE CHÂTEAUNEUF-EN-AUXOIS
Romance Castles of Burgundy Wine Region

DIJON - BURGUNDY WINE, MUSTARD N' GARGOYLES
Dijon is more than Mustard

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