Saint-Emilion

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Saint-Emilion
Sent Milion
Coat of arms of Saint-Emilion
Saint-Emilion (France)
Saint-Emilion
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Gironde
Arrondissement Libourne
Canton Les Coteaux de Dordogne
Community association Grand Saint-Emilionnais
Coordinates 44 ° 54 ′  N , 0 ° 9 ′  W Coordinates: 44 ° 54 ′  N , 0 ° 9 ′  W
height 3–107 m
surface 27.02 km 2
Residents 1,874 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 69 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 33330
INSEE code 33394
Website http://www.saint-emilion.org

Saint-Emilion - the townscape

Saint-Emilion ( Occitan : Sent Milion ) is a southwestern French town with 1,874 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the Gironde department in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine . The place and the surrounding wine-growing region ( Saint-Émilion (AOC) ) were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999 .

location

Saint-Émilion is located at the top of a steeper valley basin above the lowlands of the lower reaches of the Dordogne at an altitude of about 65 meters above sea level. d. M. Bordeaux is about 40 kilometers (driving distance) to the west, Libourne only ten kilometers to the northwest.

On the prime meridian of Greenwich , it was exactly half the way from the North Pole on the way to the equator in Saint-Émilion.

history

Finds from prehistoric times confirm the long presence of humans in this region. The Romans brought viticulture with them. In the 8th century, Aemilianus , a native of Breton and a monk in the Saujon priory , decided to settle in the Combes forest under an overhanging rock (abri) that offered both protection from bad weather and wildlife. Among the villagers in the area he was considered to be miraculous and miraculous, and so some followers soon gathered around him and buried him under the rock after his death. People continued to make pilgrimages to his grave and so his name gradually passed on to the place where a monastic community developed, which, however, came to an end during a Norman attack in the 9th century. In the 12th century, Benedictine and Augustinian monks founded small monasteries around which the village , located on a branch route of the Way of St. James , developed. During the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) the place remained unscathed, but the religiously motivated conflicts during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) caused great damage.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2017
Residents 3471 3403 3323 3010 2799 2345 2124 1874

In the 19th century, Saint-Emilion consistently had around 3,000 inhabitants. Even during the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and despite the mechanization of agriculture , the number of inhabitants increased slightly in the first half of the 20th century, only to decrease noticeably in the last few decades.

economy

In the past, the residents lived on agriculture as self-sufficient. H. the vineyards that had existed here since ancient times were interspersed with fields. In addition, stones were broken in underground tunnels, which were exported to Libourne or Bordeaux to build houses. The wine-growing region around Saint-Émilion is one of the best known and most important in southwest France today. Since the 1970s, cultural and wine tourism have also played an increasingly important role in the town's income.

Attractions

Rock church with bell tower
Donjon of the Château du Roi
Cloister of the Franciscan monastery
City gate

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Saint-Émilion

  • In the middle of the village, the Gothic bell tower rises directly above the 38-meter-long and eleven-meter high rock church , the interior of which was completely carved out of the limestone rock . A crypt can be seen in an adjoining room, in which the bones of the dead were buried; a hole in the rock ceiling is said to have enabled the souls to escape. The grotto of the hermit Emilion is shown in another rock cave next door. The rock church has been recognized as a monument historique since 1886 ; the tower followed in 1907.
  • In the immediate vicinity is the Gothic Trinity Chapel (Chapelle de la Trinité) from the 13th century, which was classified as a monument historique in 1889 .
  • The Magdalenenkapelle (Chapelle de la Madeleine) from the 13th century was part of a larger building complex including the cemetery. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 1965 .
  • The apse and the crossing tower - remodeled in the 16th century - of the Saint-Martin de Mazerat church , which has been recognized as a monument historique since 1925, date from the 12th century .
  • A little outside of the village stands the dome-covered collegiate church (Eglise collégiale) of the Augustinian order, which has been based in Saint-Émilion since 1110 and which - together with the adjacent cloister - was classified as a monument historique as early as 1840 .
  • The immediately adjacent Gothic chapel of the Canons' Chapter (Ancienne chapelle du Chapître) from the 13th and 15th centuries has also been recognized as a Monument historique since 1964 .
  • The associated enclosure buildings (refectory, chapter house, etc.) were placed under separate protection in 1964.
  • The imposing fortified tower ( donjon ) of the medieval castle (Château du Roi) has been recognized as a monument historique since 1886 .
  • Parts of the medieval city walls ( remparts ) of Saint-Émilion, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, were also recognized as Monument historique in 1886 . This also includes a city gate ( Porte de la Cadène ), which was placed under protection in 1920 .
  • The small cloister of the Franciscan monastery ( Couvent des Cordeliers ) from the 13th century is the most important remnant of the local settlement of the order, parts of which are still preserved. These were classified as Monument historique in 2005 , while the cloister was placed under protection as early as 1886.
  • Of the building from the 12th century, known as the 'Bishop's Palace ' (Palais des Archevêques ou Palais Cardinal) , only parts of the outer walls, which have been recognized as Monument historique since 1886, remain .
  • The Dominican Order , founded in 1215, was also located in Saint-Emilion; the monastery, however, stood a little outside the village. A side wall of the monastery church has been preserved, the only decoration of which is the high blind arches. The church ruin, which today stands picturesquely in the midst of vineyards, has been recognized as a monument historique since 1957 .
  • Several medieval or early modern houses are also classified as Monuments historiques .
  • A market hall (hall) and several washhouses ( lavoirs ) are also among the sights of the small town.

  • House of Wine, on the left the Augustinian Church

  • Ruin of the Dominican Church

  • Ruins of the bishop's palace

  • La jurade de Saint- Emilion (2014)

Personalities

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Gironde. Flohic Éditions, Volume 2, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-125-2 , pp. 894-902.

Web links

Commons : Saint-Émilion  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry in the UNESCO World Heritage List (English, French)
  2. ↑ Église souterraine monolithhe, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ↑ Chapelle de la Trinité, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  4. ↑ Chapelle de la Madeleine, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  5. ↑ Église Saint-Martin de Mazerat, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  6. ↑ Eglise collégiale, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  7. ↑ Ancienne chapelle du Chapître, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  8. ↑ Ancien Doyenné, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  9. ↑ Donjon du Château, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  10. ^ Remparts, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  11. ↑ Porte de la Cadène, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  12. ^ Ancien couvent des Cordeliers, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  13. ↑ Ancien Palais des Archevêques, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  14. ↑ Ancien couvent des Dominicains, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  15. ^ Maison gothique, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  16. ↑ Logis de Malet, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  17. ↑ Bâtiment accolé à la porte de la Cadène, Saint-Émilion in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)