Bully (the Rhone)

Geography

Formerly crossed by the " via francisca" who had replaced the antique " road of the bronze" our ancestors ségusiaves, Bully is located today in edge of the RN7, to about thirty kilometers in the North-West of Lyon, between Arbresle and Tarare, with the Southern borders of the Beaujolais, in the department of the Rhone (69).

Bully, in Latin Bulliacus, would be a name of Gallo-Roman origin which would mean " property of the family of Bullieu" , family whose members were lords of the village to the Middle Ages.

Nowadays, Bully counts approximately 2000 inhabitants, on a surface of 1259 hectares, including 250 in vineyards which make of it the first wine commune of the canton of Arbresle. The borough, dominated by the bell-tower of its church and the keep of the castle, constitutes a picturesque village of gilded Pierres dominating the valley of the Turdine. Bully is surrounded of the communes of Arbresle, Sarcey, Saint-Romain-with-Popey, Savigny and Saint-Germain-on-the Arbresle

Like good number of other villages of the Beaujolais wine, the majority of the old houses are built in gilded Pierres, which gives a charm particular to this village.

One of the economic main activities is the vine growing with the production of the Beaujolais. The cellar of the vine growers of Bully is one of most important Beaujolais country.

History

BULLY and its lords

the first lord of Bully which is known for us is Ythier de Bullieu. We know that it had four wire of a first marriage (Achard, Hugues, Guillaume and Guy) and a girl of a second marriage who marries a nearby lord, Etienne of Varennes.
Following events further reported, the seigniory of Bully returns to the family of Varennes which will be lord of Bully until about 1370.
the family of Jarolle has the grounds of Bully of 1370 to 1410.
Following a union, the seigniory of Bully becomes the property of Tholigny. It is Philippe de Tholigny who, at the end of the XV° century, makes build the castle of which we admire the keep still today. The weapons of this family are always visible above the main door of the tower.
In 1590, the seigniory passes to the Amyot family until 1663.
In 1663, Genevieve Amyot, become lady of Bully, marries Daniel Cholier, lord of Cibeins, and thus brings the seigniory to the family of Cibeins, one of the most former noble families of Dombes.
After the revolution, the castle of Bully will be bought by the Génissieux family which will resell it in 1885 in François Gillet, a Lyons industrialist resulting from an old family of Bully. It is his/her Edmond son who, in 1900, will entrust to the architect Gaspard André the restoration of the Castle to give him the aspect that we know to him today.

the castle does not visit

succession of Ythier de Bullieu

When Guy, wire of Ythier de Bullieu, between as monk with the abbey of Savigny, Ythier tests in favor of the abbey, stipulating that all its goods would return to the latter if its others wire would die without descent. After the death of their father in 1095, Achard and Hugues, answering the call of Urbain II and Pierre the Hermit, engage in the first crusade (1095-1099) and perish both out of Holy Land. About 1110, Guillaume, the last wire, dies in his turn without posterity. The abbey is then prepared to take possession of its heritage, but it is without counting on Etienne of Varennes which married the girl of Ythier. Etienne of Varennes disputes the testamentary provisions of Ythier and claims all the succession of Bullieu. In a preoccupation with an appeasing, the abbot of Savigny gives up in Etienne of Varennes the three quarters of the succession but this last seizes the whole by the force; it strengthens a barn located on the road of Savigny and establishes a garrison charged there to hold to ransom people of Savigny. This strong house is known today under the name of " Péage". In his turn, the abbot will resort to the force, seizes the strong house and destroys it. The archbishop of Lyon excommunicates the monks of Savigny then. Guichard III of Beaujeu, suzerain d' Etienne of Varennes and guard of the abbey, intervenes to put a term at the conflict. One arrives at the following agreement: the abbey gives up in Etienne of Varennes the castle and the grounds of Bully and this last yields to the abbey the church and all its goods and gives up its right of toll. Thus the family of Varennes entered in possession of the grounds and the castle of Bully.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Castle of Bully

Castle built about 1480 by the family of Tholigny. Restored at the XIXe century. Nonworth visiting. Visible of outside only.

Church Saint-Polycarpe

the parish church of Bully was built between 1857 and 1861 by the Journoud architect on plans of Bossan. Conceived out of yellow stone of Glay and blue stone of Apinost. Full high vaults of 13 Mr. Piliers out of stone of Lucenay, with the finely carved capitals. Stained glasses of Barelon, Mauvernay, Bégule Statues of Joseph-Hugues Fabisch. Three imposing bronze glosses encrusted with enamels. Entirely renovated in 1995.

The first mention of the church of Bully goes back to 984, date on which the archbishop of Lyon admits having this church. It is undoubtedly the family of Bullieu which made build the first church. Of Romance style, it is then located inside the vingtain. Placed under the patronage of Saint-Polycarpe, it is equipped with three furnace bridges under the terms of Saint-Clearly, Saint-Roch and Holy Eloy. Of this primitive building, there remain nothing today. In 1101, Hugues, archbishop of Lyon, fact gift of the church of Bully to the abbey of Savigny. Consequently, it is the abbot who names with the cure of Bully and this situation will perdurera until the secularization of the abbey in 1780. In 1742, the priest Claude Bayard, for an unknown reason, undertakes the construction of a new church, this time out of the vingtain, with the site of the current church. This new church is devoted on October 28th, 1743. The old church then becomes to rough-hew it cure. Despoiled with the revolution and already very decayed, it is acquired in 1839 per Mr Génissieux, already owner of the castle, which will make it demolish.

At the beginning of second half of the XIXe century, the church having become too exiguous, the priest of then, the Giraud abbot suggests the construction of a more roomy church. The plans will be drawn up by Pierre Bossan, the architect of Fourvière and construction will start in 1857 to be completed in 1861. The church is delivered to the worship without waiting, the remainder of work spreading out until the end of the century.

But in fact, this church will remain unfinished. It will be necessary to wait nearly one century and half so that in 1990, under the joint impulse of the municipal council and the parochial council, a restoration of the building is decided. This restoration will be carried out between January and June 1995 and the inauguration will be celebrated on June 25th of this same year.

Photograph gallery of the village

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