Saint Emilion is a small town on the banks of the Dordogne River in the French Gironde. History says that it was founded in the 8th century by a monk from Bretoni. Around St. Emilion, wherever you look, vineyards of famous wine regions and subregions stretch. And the town itself is surrounded by hilly terraces, along which grape varieties Merlot and Cabernet are planted. It is not surprising that the wines from Saint-Emilion are famous not only for the whole district, but also for the whole world

Tourists call in Saint- Emilion quite often. It is located only 40 km from Bordeaux and is considered one of the attractions of the region. First, the architectural appearance of Saint-Emilion is quite homogeneous and attractive: there are many beautiful examples of the Romanesque Gothic style preserved here. In addition, there is an extensive wine cellar, which stores samples of another kind brought from all over the region.

Saint-Emilion under the protection of UNESCO, therefore its noble medieval appearance is carefully preserved in its original form. For the same reason, there are not and can not be new buildings here.

How to get to Saint-Emilion

The traditional way to get to Saint-Emilion is to fly to Bordeaux first and then take the SNCF or bus by train. Of course, on a rented car it's even easier: the city stands almost on the very line connecting the coast of the Bay of Biscay in the area of ​​Mérignac with a fork in the vicinity of Brive-la-Gaillard (about 160 km), where travelers usually come from Limoges (from the north) or Toulouse from the south.)

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A little history

Limestone hills here, on the slopes The vineyards that clambered were abundant in caves. It is believed that it was in one of them that the wandering monk-preacher Emilion settled for a while in the abbey of the Benedictines. In the cave where the hermit lived, who was later ranked among the saints, beat the key, and his water, according to legend, had exceptional healing power.

According to the earliest evidence, the ancient Romans were still cultivating viticulture in the region. From the 12th to the 15th century Saint-Emilion was under the rule of the English, and with them a wine-making charter was collected in the city. The beautiful mild climate, convenient location and a wide export market in the British Isles quickly contributed to the city becoming one of the most famous wine-producing centers of the country.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Saint Emilion

The heart of Saint-Emilion - by itself, the market square .Here are the most impressive buildings, from here you can easily reach the most interesting church in the city, and many tourists and merchants gather here, as small as it allows it . There is also an old building of the covered market that was once used for grain storage and, actually, the trade . The wide windows at that time were clogged with wooden slats so that the goods did not deteriorate . And at the top of the old covered market the building of the Town Hall was built, which was started in the 18th century and finished in 1902 .

The most famous in Saint Emilion is the rock church that was carved into the mountain range at the end of 11 century. According to the legend, originally in its place was the very cave where the holy monk-hermit lived. The imposing proportions of the church make it one of the largest monolithic in Europe. When the church was later rebuilt the bell tower: its erection was begun in the 12th century and finished at 16, and its foundation was strengthened later. Now the bell tower is the highest point of the city. You can climb it by overcoming 196.

Another significant a city landmark - the ruined abbey of the 14th century built . It was turned into ruins during numerous Franco-British conflicts, but the surviving high fragment of the wall is quite dramatic and can still be seen at the entrance to the city . And the second Frenchman the Skansky abbey, also of the 14th century, was already outside the city walls . The last monks left it during the French Revolution, and the remains of the building in very poor condition became national property in 1791 . Today there is a picturesque dilapidated club, where, if lucky, you can occasionally get to tasting "Creman de Bordeaux" - sparkling wine from the underground cellars of the abbey .

The Collegiate of Saint-Emilion was built between the 12th and 15th centuries and up to now remains one of the most ajor in the Gironde region. The Augustinian remained in the monastery until the French Revolution. In the architecture of the church and cloatra, it is possible to trace the lines of both the Romance and Gothic styles

In the 12th and 13th centuries the city was surrounded by an impressive shaft system . Their total length was about 2 km, during which numerous fortifications were placed . @ Among them there were six medieval gates . In the east, only the Brunet gates remained the only ones, but they are the best preserved of all . And the only example of inner city gates is the Kadensky . Presumably, such gates were used to will separate the population of the upper part of the city (religious) from simple "lower" residents . Probably, across the gate for this stretched the chain, which gave them the name (from the Latin "cadena" - "chain") . Gates are attached to the beautiful building 16 century, in part with wooden beams . If you look closely, you can see several small sculptures outside the mansion .

From the beautiful The Cardinal Palace of the 12th century left the only part, united with the wall surrounding it and representing a natural extension of the main city gate. The palace was named after Galliard de la Mota, the nephew of Pope Clement V and the Archbishop of Bordeaux, who later received the title of Cardinal St. Luce.

The convent of the Ursulian nuns also remained only fragmented: in fact, it left only one front wall. But the memory of the sisters of the Order remained in the centuries and survived both the abbey and the order itself for purely practical reasons. It is believed that it is from Ursulines to the present day that the recipe for exquisite round baby cakes, which are called "macaroons" today, has come. The inhabitants of Saint-Emilion are firmly convinced that the makarun is exclusively their local specialty

Another interesting city attraction is the so-called Tertres, Les Tertres . Samo this word literally means "hillock" or "hillock", but it is specifically for St. Emilon that its other use is . Here is a narrow pedestrian street with a steep gradient . There are only four of them in the city: Tert Tent, Tertr Vallianov, Teatr Kaden and Gate Tern St.Marten . Pavement for the pave was once delivered to the and the English merchants who were engaged in the wine trade and used cobblestones as a ballast on their ships . After the arrival in St. Emilion, the place of stones was occupied by kegs with wine .

The buildings of the old laundries are not so ancient as the other sights of Saint Emilion : public pools were created here in the 19th century and fed on water from the very source that came to the surface in the cave of Saint Emilion. The laundresses worked here, and the Royal Basin, the largest and only indoor one, was intended for laundresses from rich neighborhoods, and Square, easier for the poor. The water in both pools was not mixed

In addition to walks and tastings in the city and its environs, you can find quite a few interesting activities . For example, go down to the underground pottery museum and find out more about the 20-century history of this craft in Aquitaine . The dungeon in which the museum is located was formed when in the 12th and 13th centuries a stone was taken from here to create city ramparts . Another interesting underground excursion begins at Chateau Willemorin, which is a couple of steps away from the medieval center of Guo ode . where you can go with a guide through the galleries with a height of 4 levels, covering an area of ​​16 acres, and at the end of the tour to try two varieties of wine .

And those who prefer nature to the types of the underworld can go on a trip around the local wine road in the vicinity of the city or go to the town of Saint-Ter about 10 km to the south. This small town on the bank of the river proudly calls itself the world capital of lamprey, so it is quite obvious what it is worth to eat fine regional wines. Here you can also see traditional flat-bottomed boats and mini-boats.