Autumn Weekend and General Assembly at Autun, November 13th to 15th 2020 – cancelled

cancelled

The IT, international and stays managers and, of course, the “locals” Nicole and Jean-Claude Durand contributed to this page presenting the stay.

Booking form Autun

Presentation of Autun

Located to the south of the Morvan massif,  Autun, at 310m above sea level, is a sub-prefecture of the department, and  a listed ‘Ville d’Art et d’Histoire’, with a population of about 13500. In the nineteenth century, it was centre of industry, with exploitation of the local oil shale (which had been mined since ancient times) and of fluorine.  In the twentieth century  theseacitivities gave way to the presence of national companies like Dim (textiles) and Nexans (industrial cabling).

Some history

The town became the capital of the Eduens (a Gallic people) after the defeat of Vercingetorix by Julius Caesar at Alésia.  Towards the year  15BC, the Emperor Augustus, wishing to make a demonstration of Rome’s power,  decided to create a city in Gaul, which he named Augustodunum, or the ‘Fortress of Augustus’. The city took for its motto, ‘Sister and Disciple of Rome’, which later provided the inscription ‘Autun of Gaul, Sister and Disciple of Rome’ on the front of the present Town Hall.

Autun still has many remains from the Roman period, and with ten structures still standing, it is the most important Gallo-Roman site north of the Loire. Notable amongst these are :

• • The city walls. Originally 6km in length, with 53 towers, three quarters still exist.
    
    Porte Saint-André (© JC Durand)
  • Two of the four gates that gave access to the Gallo-Roman city – the St.André gate, and the Arroux gate.
    

    théâtre romain (© JC Durand) –  148m in diameter, which could hold 20,000 spectators

     

     

     

     

     

     

Cathédrale d’Autun (©photo JC Durand)

Autun lay on the part of the Compostelle pilgrimage route that began in Vezelay.  In 1120, work started on a church dedicated to St.Lazarus (a fifth century bishop from Aix-en-Provence). The church was finished in 1146, 148m in diameter, which could hold 20,000 spectators and during its restoration in the twentieth century, was consecrated a cathedral.

Temple de Janus (© JC Durand) – , built in the first century AD. The ancient tower, two sides of which remain, is 214m high.

It is famous for itstympanum depicting the Last Judgement (fully restored in 2009) and for its more than fifty capitals, some decorated with ornamental designs and figures, and others with representations of foliage.
The Tympanum and most of the capitals are attributed to the sculptor Gislebertus.

Châpiteau (© JC Durand)

The Tympanum, that  was plastered over by eighteenth century monks, who did not appreciate sculpture, also escaped the depredations of the Revolution.

In the nineteenth century, the church was added to the schedule of Historic Monuments by Inspector Prosper Merimée, and restored by Viollet-le-Duc.

The pillar between the doors below the Tympanum, showing St.Lazarus and his two sisters, dates from the nineteenth century.

Tympan au dessus du trumeau (© JC Durand)

Two notable buildings date from the modern era :

• The military college – built in 1675 as a seminary, afterwards becoming a hospital, then a prison. It was a military academy from 1885, and has been a military college since 1993. It has cloister and roofs in the Burgundianstyle, with glazed tiles.
• The Bonaparte School – built in 1709 as a Jesuit college. It owes its name to the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte and his brother Joseph were pupils for a few months. Wrought iron gates illustrate ‘scholastic instruments’.
  

  Lycée militaire d’Autun (© JC Durand)

  .   Le lycée militaire – Edifice construit en 1675, tour à tour grand séminaire, hôpital et prison. Ecole militaire depuis 1885 devenue lycée militaire en 1983.

  Le lycée a conservé son cloître et ses toits de tuiles vernissées.

The bike rides

One circuit will be offered on Saturday, and another on Sunday morning. Both will be practicable either on a road bike or on an MTB, as the tracks are very easy.  Although this area doesn’t have many cols, it will nevertheless be possible to collect one or two. For those who arrive early or stay on afterwards, a supplementary circuit will be available.

Accomodation

We will be staying at the EspaceSt.EX, part of the Ethic Etapes network. There are 116 beds in 53 rooms.

EspaceSt.EX

3 rue Saint-Exupery

71400 Autun

Tel : +33(0)3 85 86 58 30 – Fax : +33(0)3 85 86 58 32

Email :

https://www.espacesaintex.org

Other accommodation

The town has several public car parks near the Espace Saint Ex: parking for mobile homes is allowed but there are no connections (electricity, water, etc.).

Mobile homes facility:

Plan d’eau du Valon – Route de Chalon-sur-Saône – 71400 Autun

Bookings

Club des Cent Cols General Assembly

It will be held on site in the afternoon of Saturday. For more details please visit the General Assembly web page.

The notice of meeting and the statutory documents will be distributed as usual via an Info Cent Cols in October and will be available on the website.

At the end of the work, a drink will be served to meet us again in a less formal way.

Other activities or visits

A visit of the town of Autun can be arranged through its tourist office.

For those accompanying you, we can suggest some visits to Autun, a city of history and its surroundings:

• its ancient heritage (Saint-Lazare cathedral, Roman theatre, ancient ramparts)
• the castle of Couches
• its museums (Rolin museum, Maison des Galvachers, Musée du Campagnonnage)
• The museums of Château-Chinon are closed for renovation. Reopening planned for 2022
• its gastronomy
• archaeological site of Bibracte (27 km away) at Mont Beuvray at an altitude of 821 meters.

It remains open to visitors all year round. You can access it freely with your vehicle, every day, except in case of bad weather. The museum closes from 11 November to mid-March. It has been classified as a natura 2000 site.

http://www.bibracte.fr/