Avallon

Geography

The city, chief town of district, are located on a high plate dominating the deep valley of the Cousin. Its surface is of approximately 2,673 hectares .

To present the geography let us call on Victor Petit : " Avallon, town of extremely old origin, is built in a remarkably picturesque situation. Also we judge useful to put under the eyes of our readers a topographic chart of the surroundings of Avallon, plan of the old city and finally panoramic sight of the current city. The overall picture, catch top of the park of the Freeholds can give a general idea of the rural and charming aspect of the high rock hill on the top of which develops the very whole city (...).

Towards the center of the drawing one notices the two principal monuments of Avallon: the church of Saint-Lazare , and, a little on the left, the turn of the Clock . In front of the bell-tower of Saint-Lazare the remainders of the Saint-Pierre church are. A little on the left is the court giving on the street Bocquillot and leading to the Small-Carries in front of which one sees the charming walk known as Terreau of Small-Carries. The tower Gaujard is on the left; the strengthened Spur, which dominates the road of Lormes, is on the right and dominates the beautiful escarpments of granitic rocks which plunge until the bottom of the valley. The Bedside of the church Saint-Lazare mask the vast building of the Ursulines. The tower which is opposite door the name Escharguet .

On the right another tower is seen rising above an enormous defensive wall preserved very well aini than its small stone guérite. A little read on the right one sees the new church of Saint Martin's day . Still, and preceded on the right by some green trees, the sub-prefecture is noticed. Lastly, at the end of the drawing one sees the old Saint Martin's day church. Ahead an immense rock and corrugated ground extends which one names Thatches . The fast slope of this hill forms, on the left, the deep small valley which insulates and borders, in the east, a whole side of the city. The bottom of this small valley is occupied by a small river coming from the pond of Tiny the a road skirts this brook, which, crosses a group of houses forming the Faubourg Cousin-The-Rock.

On the right, one sees the road of Cut-the-Tombs, leading to the Bridge-Claireau . The course of the Cousin, divided by several islands, occupies the foreground (...) Remontons with the turn of the Clock . Behind the turn Gaujard , but with 700 meters beyond that, is the Hospital (...) On the left of the house of school, one sees the Terreau of Carry-New the . Below one recognizes the edge of the road of Lormes, circumventing, in scarf, the side cultivated of the mountain, and descending right to the large bridge from the Cousin, by the bottom of the small valley of the west, sprinkled by the small or river of the Pautot Touillon . One foresees this bridge at the base of beautiful escarpments of rocks of the hill known as Morlande , at the top of which rises a middle-class house, which, in construction in 1830, took the name of House-in Algiers .

In front of the bridge of the suburb of Cousin-the-Bridge , from one bank to another the beautiful arch built for the passage of the pipes of the fountains springs going up on the level of the city after being gone down from a plate a little higher. It is at the end of this plate that the beautiful house of the Alleux rises, placed at the top of splendid escarpments of rocks (...) the camp of the Alleux is completely apart from our panorama and thus the narrow one and tortuous valley of the Cousin is forgotten. the valley beautiful is only seen city, and the city really beautiful only is seen valley. ".

History

The site is occupied since a castrum Gaulois, of the people éduens. It seems that the city depended on the province of Autun. The Route of Antonin speaks about Aballone , and in the Table of Peutinger Aballo appears. The Morvan avallonnais had to play a gravitational part for the rich person Roman families from Autun: souces many immense forests, accessibility… the Romans pushing back the Gallic populations built a temple, a court and a theater.

It was place-strong important a long time. One finds five centuries after the great invasions the denomination of Avallonem Castrum . The castle was built on the site of the ancient city, the temple became a Oratoire devoted to Notre-Dame; the Prétoire remained the place where justice went. The theater was found only in 1765: on this occasion one found ancient seats, six medals, burials, weapons, remains of amphoras according to Courtépée . A museum established in the Tower of the Clock collected the principal objects.

With the VII° century, the Jonas monk mentions a Cabalonem Castrum . The fate of the borough is related to that of Burgundy: or kingdom independent or joined together with the kingdom of Austrasie (until the IX° century). In 806, Charlemagne, in a Capitulary , made gift of Avallon and Auxois with his/her son Louis Débonnaire. In 817 this one transmits it to his/her son Pépin.

In 931 the duke of Burgundy, Gislebert , share in war against Raoul , his brother-in-law who seized Avallon and annexed it to the county of Auxerre. In 1002 the king Robert wants to take again the duchy of Burgundy with Othon Guillaume : Avallon was besieged for three months and the famine obliged to deliver the city. It was devastated and the majority of the massacred inhabitants. The inhabitants, serfs, belonged to three different Masters: the duke of Burgundy , the abbot of Saint Martin's day , canons of Saint-Lazare . At the time of the fourth Crusade, the duke of Burgundy frees the inhabitants from Avallon and granted to them a Charte of commune. Then it was the abbot who in 1110 imitated the duke. On the other hand the canons only yielded much later and under the constraint. They had " the right to name four aldermen to govern, control, handle, manage the city and to provide for its businesses and trades, that to introduce to the choice of the king a captain or lieutenant for their defense, and, when the Third-State was allowed with the States of Burgundy , to the neighborhoods of the XIV° century, they sent two to it députés"

At the beginning of XVe century the turns and the ramparts are in ruins: what allows a gang leader named Extremely-Spices , to keep the city for eight month in 1433. It takes twenty years for the city to be raised of this test. One builds a square tower in the center of the city for the guet: it has a clock. The streets are paved. In 1543, the population has almost triplet. But the wars of religion will not save the city. Then the League , in 1590, causes great damage. The lightning damages also the large bell-tower of Saint-Lazare and the small bell-tower, respectively in 1589 and 1595. It is necessary to add to this dark table, the plague in 1531, and 1587.

The XVIIe century is the time of the embellishments: 1713, the hospital is rebuilt (equipment of the president Odebert ), 1770 construction of the Hotel-of-City and 1791 demolition of the church of Saint-Julien

Let us point out some traditions of the city: the guettor of night , shouting the hour and asking to request for the departeds, the phantom of " Lent-prenant" which traversed the city in procession, the mass of Easter flowered where one made rain on the assistance of the forget and where one released from the birds within the nave.

Administration

Demography

Monuments

Religious buildings

the church Saint-Lazare

This building belonged to the religious institutions made up of chanoines." They were called Chapters or of Collégiales"

Of old origin, it was the chief town of a Archidiaconé of évêché of Autun. The count Gerard would have liked his cration. Before the year 1000 it bears the name of Notre-Dame. It is obtaining a Relique of Saint-Lazare which modified its noun (one spoke about saint-Miser to the XIV° century).

The collegial one saw flowing the gifts: the dukes of Burgundy increased the Prébende S up to 24, the lords of Chastellux , Villarnoult , Vésigneux showed generosities.

As it was of use, the church was in the enclosure of the castle to prevent any takeover by force. Beginning of the year 1000 date the remains from the religious building found in 1861 under the high altar. In 1080, the building east increases and its plan points out that of old the Basilique s.De this time dates the chorus arched in quarter from sphere, the Arcade S in full-clotheshanger, and the two vaults in half-circle and part of the sides;

With the XII° century the Abbaye of Cluny, on which the church depended on Avallon, made build a very beautiful frontage of which remain only two gates. On those, beside the low-reliefs and of the colossal statues one can admire perfect twisted columns.

Natural disasters will fall down on this church: 1589, the lightning burns the bell-tower, 1604 the wind destroys three of the four stone pinnacles, 1633 the storm reverses the large tower.

In 1860-65 of important work of restoration were undertaken: clearing of the ground, old replaced tombs, a large organ case carved

the new church of Saint Martin's day

It is constuite towards 1650 and belonged to the convent of Visitandines.Sa frontage is of Doric order and the small gate, of ordreionic. It was restored and increased in 1848

the church Saint-Julien

It was a small church which rose where the place of the market is. At the XI° century, at the time of its construction, it was located out the walls. it is thought that it was the second church constuite in Avallon. In 1520, it was rebuilt partly. The bad weather damaged it many times. In 1793, it was shaven

the Capuchins

In 1653 thanks to subsidies of Pierre Odebert the convent was built on the active ground of the walk of the street of Lyon to the street of the Gardens. Making of this building gave place during three years to quarrels enough sharp between the opponents and the partisans of the new convent

Tiny the

In 1615, a convent was built with the angle of the street of the suburb of Saint Martin's day and of the street of the Gardens .auparavant with this endrit the Odebert family had a strong house. " The buildings were extremely simple. The vault did not have either an ornamentation architecturale."

the Ursulines

This convent, constuit in 1629, beside the tower of the Clock, depended on the Ursulines of Dijon. The interior court, square and bordered of an arched gallery points out the Cloître means-âgeux. The buildings, vast, were divided by batches and put on sale like national Biens the 12 Fructidor of year IV

the Visitandines

The ladies of the Visitation established their convent in 1646. The ground belonged to the abbey of Saint Martin's day and was located between the Roman way and the small valley of Pond-of-Minimes.La the distribution of the buildings respects the traditions monacales of the Middle Ages.

In 1848 the church of the convent was restored, increased, and became the Saint Martin's day church

Civil monuments

the castle

Of what was the residence of the Ducs of Burgundy there remain nothing. The files are in addition rather evasive as for the subject. The site " included the grounds currently occupied by the college and the convent of the Ursulines in north, the court and the house of detention in the west, and by the churches of Saint-Lazare and Saint-Pierre in the east. The southern part, i.e. that which touches with Small-Carries could, according to all the probabilities, be occupied by the donjon"

This fortress is mentioned as of the VII° century

the market

It is located not far from theAuxerre-native one; Its construction goes back to 1772. It is the junction point between the place of the market (occupying the site of the old church of Saint-Julien) and what was called the fairground, along the Large-Course

the hospital

In 1659 the future establishment receives 30.000 books of president Pierre Odebert. The building is built with the expenses of the city between 1715 and 1728: it is located towards the end of the walk of the Large-Course.

In 1843 the building increases of a main building for the men of the west coast. In 1867 new construction for the women, simultaneously with the preceding building.

the Hotel-of-City

It is located in main street and vis-a-vis the Saint-Julien place. The building was built in 1770 and resembles a particular house. " Two cylinder heads of guns of wrought iron, provided with their rings, are placed as a terminal at the sides of the entry. These two guards seem to date from the XV° century; they are mentioned as being out of service as of the medium of the XVI° siècle."

the place Saint-Julien

This place" was increased of all the site which the church of Saint-Julien occupied. One noticed there, a few years ago, the frontage of a very old building indicated as being the residence of old the Ducs of Burgundy. The dependences of this residence bear the name of Court-Trollop which is that of " Nicolas Trollop, knight and captain of one hundred men-at-arms which occupied it under the orders of the dukes of Bourgogne" . There remains of the old building only one turret of staircase and some sections of wall, dating from the XV° century, wedged in recent construction industries. "

the bridges

In 1775 a stone bridge was built for the passage of the road of Lormes. It is necessary to notice the two central piles which are oblique: that made it possible to be in the current.

An old bridge out of wooden, renovated out of stone in 1457, had nothing any more but one arch in 1870. It was not far from the first quoted bridge.

The Bridge-Claireau , at the end of the suburb of Cousin-the-Rock, must be mentioned for the beauty from the point of view: natural barrier of rocks and cascades of the Cousin.

A large arch of 27 meters opening allows, by spanning the Cousin to feed out of water the fountains of Avallon starting from the three rivers of the Pond-of-Chapter , of Montmain , and of Aillon : it was built in 1847.

old houses

Two remarkable houses of XVe century: not far from the Turn of the Clock and carrying the n° 7 of the street Bocquillot, the other on the side of the place Saint-Lazare , with a turret of staircase.

strengthened doors and walls

The walls were almost entirely rebuilt 1460 with 1470. The goal was to solidify fortifications pressed on benches of rock. The turns are massive and of semicircular form: the hollow part being used as body of guard. The tower best preserved is that called of Escharguet , at the end of the street of Vachère.

In 1590 one added salient angles to the old fortifications and one installed small a guérite at the top, in Encorbellement.

The old doors " as obscure as massive (...) " were cut down by the magistrates for " to make the city more convenient and more pleasant (...) " : such was the opinion of Courtépée towards 1777. Most important was built towards the entry of the Main street; the road of Dijon ended in it and it was named the Bastille . The other carries, known as Carry-Auxerre-native gave on main road of Auxerre;

The Carry-New opened side of the west.

The Small-Carries is at the end of the street Bocquillot : it was the direction of Lormes and the Nivernais. From there one dominates of more than one hundred meters the narrow valley dug by the Cousin

the sub-prefecture

The Sous-préfecture is installed in a beautiful residence built in 1845.

the Tower of the Clock

Built by the aldermen at the highest place of the city, in February 1456. It is built above the public highway like the Tour of the Clock of Auxerre or as to Saint-Fargeau. The arcade which supports the building bears the name of Porte of Butchery or Bouchoise .

As of 1460 the tower, provided with a Bell-tower, receives a bell of 521 pounds.

One knows the name of the craftsmen who took part in his construction: the Master-mason is Jehan Berg , as for the frames they are the fruit of the work of Nicolas Boulevault and Nichot-Michot

A stone staircase, in spiral, conduit on the various floors, which are lit by lattice windows. The aldermen held their meeting in one of the rooms until in 1772. In 1862 the Survey firm of Avallon held its meetings to with it. Under its aegis a restoration of the two rooms was undertaken and made it possible to find initial decorative paintings.

the Court

It was located into 1870 vis-a-vis the gates of the Saint-Lazare church. It is admitted that the building was built on the site of the ancient Prétoire Its frontage was altered at various times. The cellar, extremely rustic, which extends under the building, is interesting: it makes it possible to date the building: XIIIe century. Same time: a chimney and a bored square turret of a lattice window.

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