Despite (many times) previously having bored you with photos of the place, until today, I’ve never actually been inside of the abbaye before. Today was a final get-together of the Central-Otago/Burgundy Exchange crew – together with a few glasses of the abbaye’s Hautes Côtes Blanc made by the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and with its figurehead, Aubert de Villaine too. Aubert indicated that work would be completed in about another 2 years, to a stage where visitors will finally have the chance to walk a route around and in the abbaye – I’ll be early in the queue!
today in the abbaye de st.vivant…
Update
22.10.2017(21.10.2017)
There is one response to “today in the abbaye de st.vivant…”
My first visit to the Abbaye Saint Vivant was almost 30 years ago, hiking to the overgrown Abbaye ruins from the nearby small 12C church of Saint Saturnin in Reulle-Vergy. It’s a nice but somewhat overgrown traipse through the Hautes Cotes de Nuits with remnants of walls from the fortress of Vergy still visible on the trail to the Abbaye. It is wonderful that DRC and Aubert de Villaine have restored this ancient and important edifice. The history of the Lords (and Ladies) of Vergy preceeded the great Valois dukes, and they were exceptionally important in the development of Burgundy wines, agriculture, and economy from the times of the 7thC to Burgundy’s integration into France after the defeat of the last Valois Duke Charles the Bold in 1477. The Dame Jeanne de Vergy and her husband were also reputedly the first “recorded” owners of the shroud of Turin, though they gave it to the Canons of Lirey (near Troyes), rather than a Burgundian church or Abbaye.
Continuing a bit downhill from the Abbaye towards the Cote de Nuits one can find a pleasant lunch or dinner at the superb Au Petit Bonheur. About two years ago there was a reception hosted by Aubert and the Patrimoine committee of Burgundy that exhibited models of the ancient fortress of Vergy – a truly massive and nearly impregnable fortress on a precipice dominating the Hautes Cotes de Nuits. A wonderful exhibit of models and archaeological remnants of the castle was presented from this often overlooked historic Burgundian dynasty. Bill, thanks for the memories and the pictures!!
Many thanks Jerome – I love your insight. I knew that the hose of Vergy was connected to both the Clos de Lambrays and the Clos St.Denis – but have never seen the model of the old fortress – that must have been a cool thing. The question is now, where’s the model?
Perhaps in Dijon at a museum? You could ask Aubert…. or at the new Patrimoine offices.