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Latest Bourg-en-Bresse hotel reviews
At all monasteries there are cloisters. At Brou they are three in number, of which we visited only the largest which was built at the same time as the other buildings (1506). The upper floor was the monk's dormitories which today houses the deparmental museum (art,etc) which we did not visit. The use of sculptor-stoneworkers was not exhausted inside the mausolem and it is manifested in figured decorations of the lower brackets (modillions) of the arches of the covered galleries.
Written Nov 16, 2008
The Chapel of Margaret contains both her Tomb and the reredos of the Seven Joys of the Virgin.(See separate Tip) It is tall and well decorated . It also contains remarkable stained glass windows which should not be missed ( we have no pictures of this).
Written Nov 13, 2008
The Tomb of Margaret of Austria, the donor of this edifice, lies in a specially designed chapel to the North. It has a tall elaborately sculpted canopy and it also contains two effigies. On the tomb are protective Sibyls as gracefull statuettes.
Written Nov 13, 2008
The Tomb of Philibert the Fair, has two effigies (in life above, and in death below). His handsome head rests on a pillow and there is a lion at his feet as well as numerous cherubs all around. The tomb is in the center of the apse.
Written Nov 13, 2008
The Tomb of Margaret of Bourbon, mother of Philibert, is the simplest of the three tombs. It lies at the South side of the choir area. She lies on a black marble slab with her head resting on a pillow and a grayhound at her feet. Below, the slab is supported by pleurants and proclaiming cherubs.
Written Nov 13, 2008
The retable of the “Seven Joys of the Virgin” is carved in whitel marble and is set in the Chapel of Margaret of Austria. It is surrounded by statues and contains seven scenes. At the bottom are an Annunciation and a Visitation while above is a central Assumption with pairs of lateral panels of a Nativity and an Adoration of the Magi below, topped by a Christ Appearing to His Mother and a Pentecost above.
Written Nov 11, 2008
The church is filled with superb 16C stained glass (some of it copied from works of Durer) but we only took a picture of one window ina chapel of the North Transept showing the Incredulity of Thomas. Another remarkable item is a black marble baptismal font near the front door. Equally interesting are the carved choir stalls , especially the arm rests and fanciful misericords.
Written Nov 11, 2008
The church has been deconsecrated, and it and the Mausoleum are considered works of Art. The detail is so precise that one hates to miss even the smallest nuance. It is Flamboyant Gothic with Renaissance flourishes achieved in the period of 1513-32. The stonework is by master craftsmen working from illustrations (some derived from Durer), as is the stained glass and woodcarving. The nave is tall and wide with double aisles. The north lateral aisles are separated by a wooden screen. The choir is sealed from the worshippers by a jube (choir screen) with three basket handle arches topped by 7 statues. The vaulting is graceful. and there is a balustrade below the clerestory windows which provide plenty of light.
Written Nov 11, 2008
The West Portals of the church is a carefully carved Renaissance masterpiece. It is a double doorway with a statue of St. Nicholas of Tolentino (to whom the church is dedicated) on the central pillar. The tympanum shows Philibert the Handsome and Margaret of Austria (his wife and donor of the church) and also Margaret of Bourbon, whose vow led to the donation, facing a Christ Bound. The enclosing sculpture is excessively floral and symbolic and includes statues of Peter and Paul on the flanks of the doorways. The doors are topped by windows between which is a statue of St. Andrew. All of this leads to a large gable above.
Written Nov 10, 2008
Helpfulness
this was used (and still is illegally) to produce a very strong white clear alcohol drink called either "Alambi" or "Eau de vie".
This one as been used as decoration entrance of a house and can be seen in the village of Cerdon.
It s either drunk by pourring a bit on a sugar piece or is drunk as what french call a "trou normand" which is a pause in a middle of a meal.
Be careful if you are offered some as some of them can have up to 70% alcohol.
Updated Jan 17, 2005
Address: Cerdon
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Reviews and photos of Bourg-en-Bresse attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Bourg-en-Bresse sightseeing.
this was used (and still is illegally) to produce a very strong white clear alcohol drink called either "Alambi" or "Eau de vie".This one as been used as...
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1
the Ain departement is situated in the Rhone-alpes region and is itself divided in small regions: le Revermont, le Bugey, both being more mountainy, and la Bresse with the flatest landscape, flowery...
2
The tourist, the market and the chicken
Again, this is a pre-digital camera trip, so photo's are scarce. I seem to remember that I do have some market photo's somewhere. Ah well.... In the meantime there's room to tell you that during our...
3
An Ain Folk Festival Outside the Church of Brou
We came to Bourg-en-Bresse only to visit the Royal Monastery and Church of Brou, a suburb at the SE edge of town (pop. 44K). The only other activities that we indulged in were to eat lunch in front of...
4
It takes about 1 hour by train from Lyon to the direction of Strasbourg.We walked to the church. This church is famous for blue stained glass.
5
bourg-en-bresse has a nice church built in the 15`th century and a nice museum with painting from 15`th century to the 19`th century.
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