A crossing place of roads and waterways, it was a centre of commerce, which ensured its wealth in early times. It is a mosaic of regions brimming with rich produce, one of France’s gastronomic high spots. Its name is synonymous with world famous wines and great restaurants. Burgundy is also proud of its extraordinarily rich artistic heritage, the result of having been a bastion of Christianity and of its glorious past, at the time of the Great Dukes of Burgundy, conquerors and patrons of the Arts, “Europeans” before their time.

Burgundy has been inhabited since the dawn of humanity, during the lower Palaeolithic, as is testified by the animal skeletons and the tools found in different caves in the region. Occupied by the Celts, it became an active province of Gaul for several centuries thanks to its flourishing trade, before becoming the theatre of the famous battle of Alésia lost by Vercingétorix (52 BC), one of the turning points in the history of France. At the fall of the Roman Empire, the region was invaded by the Burgonds. The history of Burgundy, one of the most powerful Dukedoms, was from then on fraught with battles between kings, first the Mérovingians, then the Capetians. The great Duchy reached its zenith during the 14th century under Charles le Téméraire, an exceptional character, an ambitious visionary, a warrior, a scholar and a patron of the Arts. At the end of his reign, he had built an authentic state, comprising present day Burgundy, Franche-Comté, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxembourg, Artois, Picardy, Belgium and the Netherlands. It can be said that here the first grand European design was born, respectful of cultural and linguistic differences.

A land of passage, Burgundy was one of the springboards of the expansion of Christianity. The abbeys played a key role. The instability of power led to a revival of mysticism and of religious vocations. Cluny Abbey, independent of political power because it was directly attached to the Holy See – which is why it was named “the Second Rome” – found itself leading a powerful movement. Each abbey obeying the rule of St-Benoît was called upon to create new ones : nearly 1500 abbeys were erected in the space of two centuries. Later an abbot called Bernard de Clairvaux reacted against the relaxation of morals among the Benedictines and created Citeaux Abbey and the Cisterian order, which was extremely strict. His order prospered. As a scholar and philosopher, he played an eminent role. Burgundy also possesses a considerable number of religious buildings, among which is the church of Vézelay, one of the most extraordinary of France’s art treasures. On the “eternal hill”, this building dedicated to Mary Magdalene, in which the light effects are admirably mastered, was for centuries the rallying place for pilgrims journeying to St James of Compostella.

From the turn of the 1st millennium, Romanesque art flourished in hundreds of constructions, like in Cluny and Citeaux. In Burgundy the portals, capitals, graven tympanums, murals of sublime beauty abound. The same phenomenon occurred when the rib vault appeared in the 12th century and architecture became more graceful. The Cisterians were at the forefront of Gothic innovation. During the reigns of the Great Dukes of Burgundy, Philippe le Bon, Philippe le Hardi, Charles le Téméraire, this province developed, thanks to their patronage, a wide-ranging artistic reputation unique in Europe. Sculptors and painters from the Netherlands participated in the creation of the “Burgundy School”, which had a strong influence. Civil architecture was not far behind. Examples of this are the Hôtel-Dieu in Beaune, with its famous polished tiles, a wonder of flamboyant Gothic architecture and an establishment dedicated to providing care for the poor who had fallen sick. But any visit to Burgundy must include the chateaux, from the medieval castles to the splendid Renaissance mansions, witnesses to the history of Burgundy.

As we have said, the region is extremely diverse. Divisions are made according to the lie of the land and the valleys, because this region is a crossroads of rivers. The Seine, the Aube and the Yonne, with its tributary the Armançon, rise here. The Loire and the Saône border the region. To the North, near Ile-de-France, lies the Auxerrois region, surrounded by the Sénonais, the Pays d’Othe, the Puisaye and the Tonnerrois ; the Morvan, a low-lying mountain range, the water tower of the Seine ; to the West, between the Loire and the Yonne, the Nivernais and Bazois regions, landscapes of hills and plateaus ; to the East lies the Auxois, a land of cattle raising. The famous Côte and its vineyard, at the gates of Dijon, represent the last step above the Saône plain, extending to the South with the Mâconnais and the Beaujolais, both also wine-growing regions. On the right bank of the Saône there is the Charolais, on the left the Burgundy Bresse, two livestock rearing regions, the former with it’s famous bovine race, the latter with its acclaimed poultry produce.

Without dispute, if there is one art that approaches the sublime in Burgundy, it’s the art of the table ! Was it not written that Bourguignons have the reputation of always being “ready to feast” and to share their pleasures ? Many accounts describe the copious banquets served at the Great Duke’s homes, accompanied by the best wines. A tradition of high gastronomy that has stood the test of time : the region has several talented chefs. In this land of plenty, they can call on the best quality local produce : Charolais meat, poultry and frogs from the Bresse, Burgundy snails, game, freshwater fish, mustard, gingerbread, blackcurrants, cheese, etc…

Many accounts, writings or legends of this land of gourmets focus on gastronomy. Rumour has it that monasteries even had pens for raising snails and facilitating the harvest. As early as the 17th century, vinegar and mustard makers founded a society to guarantee and promote the quality of their products. The monks of Citeaux Abbey were the first to raise blackcurrants. And the café owners of Dijon, it is claimed, launched the blackcurrant ratafia. Local recipes abound and fill whole chapters of cookery books. In this land, greed is not a sin… Burgundy and its wines form an inseparable couple. References to wine-growing and production can be found in manuscripts dating from the IIIrd century and its well known that the fenced vineyards, typical of Burgundy viticulture, go back to the Middle Ages. A substance with a strong symbolic value for Christianity, wine greatly benefited from the expansion of the Benedictine and Cisterian orders which were founded in these lands. The former created the Clos Vougeot, the latter Chablis wine. All those of high rank, at all periods, popes, kings, bishops and lords appreciated Burgundy’s great wines ! Thus Doctor Fagon prescribed to Louis the 14th “old Burgundy wine” to strengthen a declining monarch and it is claimed that Madame de Pompadour was a Romanée-Conti enthusiast. During the Revolution, a member of Parliament invented, for this new Département, the name of “Côte d’Or”, in homage to the colour of its wines. As for Alexander Dumas, he wrote that “nothing makes the future seem rosier than looking through a glass of Chambertain” !

In Burgundy, a knight’s guild gained its reputation not on the battlefields but in the art of wine-tasting : the world-famous knights of Tastevin. Each year, during the annual assembly, the new knights are ennobled in the presence of a Grand Chamberlain and of the order’s dignitaries, according to a traditional ritual. In the same way, the annual wine auction of the Hospice de Beaune, the most famous international wine charity sale, is held in the medieval market of Beaune, for the benefit of the General hospital of the town and for hospital modernization. With such variety it is hardly surprising that the themes of Burgundy’s celebrations and events are largely inspired by local traditions and by the agricultural produce of the region. The most frequent are obviously the festivals of local produce, the gourmet days (gingerbread, chestnuts, snails, etc..), gastronomic meets (including medieval ones), the wine festivals devoted to each vintage. And naturally the processions in honour of St-Vincent, patron saint of winemakers, are not to be missed.

Wine again, always and everywhere…

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