Last month, during my trip to France, I've been to the medieval village of Saint Emilion, located 40km north-east of Bordeaux. Saint-Emilion is one of those places I discovered through postcards and when I realized it was so close to Bordeaux, I had to put it in my itinerary.
Saint-Emilion is a charming medieval village located in the heart of the famous Bordeaux wine area. It is a very unique site were world-famous wineries, fine wine, beautiful architecture and great monuments are a perfect match.
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The legend tells us about a monk from Brittany who fled from Vannes, his hometown, to seek refuge in one of the natural caves in a place called Ascum bas (former name of the village) in the 8th century.
His name was Emilion. Living the life of a hermit he accomplished a few miracles and rapidly became famous in the region and even far beyond its border s. Soon he had many disciples and with their help he evangelized that place and made it become a great religious center. Even after his death his followers carried on his legacy and even called the town after him: Saint-Emilion.
His name was Emilion. Living the life of a hermit he accomplished a few miracles and rapidly became famous in the region and even far beyond its border s. Soon he had many disciples and with their help he evangelized that place and made it become a great religious center. Even after his death his followers carried on his legacy and even called the town after him: Saint-Emilion.
From the 9th century to the 19th century men had the will to mine the soil in order to standardize the whole architectural looking of not only the city of Saint-Emilion but also a few ones in the region (such as Bordeaux for instance).
Nowadays the extraction is over but there are still 200km of underground galleries under the village and its vineyard standing as a proof of that activity.
Nowadays the extraction is over but there are still 200km of underground galleries under the village and its vineyard standing as a proof of that activity.
Harmonious work of Men and Nature the landscapes of Saint-Emilion are testimonies of its History. In 1999 for the first time in the world a vineyard was written on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO as a Cultural Landscape, that is to say a historical landscape that remained intact but which is still carrying on its activity. - in: https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk
Porte Cadène, a superb Gothic arched gate, spans the picturesque Rue Cadène, one of the lanes that lead to Place de l’Eglise Monolithe. It was built long after the ramparts and is located within the fortified village.
On the left side of the gate there's the only timber-framed house in the village and has a facade dating from the very beginning of the 16th century,
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