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Saint-Emilion, medieval city among the vineyards

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Saint-Emilion is the ideal destination for a weekend break in the countryside and a must stop on a road trip through France.


Saint-Émilion
Saint-Emilion

Saint-Emilion is known all over the world for its wines and its beautiful chateaux surrounded by vineyards, but very few people know that this village has a rich history of 2000 years.

One of the testimonies of this historical baggage is underground, in the 200 Km of galleries that run under the village; the rest is above, in the many religious buildings and monuments to visit. 

The village was founded in the 8th century by a Breton monk, Emilian. Since 1999, Saint Emilion and the 8 municipalities within its jurisdiction have been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. 

Here, the omnipresent limestone provides an exceptional soil for the vines. And the same limestone was used to build the elegant medieval city and many buildings in Bordeaux.

As soon as you enter this small town, you will come across the ancient ruins of a former Dominican convent, although not much is left other than the imposing 19 meters high walls and the watchtowers.

Saint-Emilion
Saint-Emilion

But the most spectacular landmark is, without any doubt, the monolithic church, entirely dug into the limestone rock by the Benedictine monks in the 11th century. 

Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion


Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion

With its unusual dimensions (38 m long and 11 m high) it is the largest monolithic church in Europe, an imposing place that can only be visited with a guided tour offered by the tourist office. 

As part of the visit, you will also be able to explore the hermitage cave and the catacombs. The cave cut in the rock represents the origin of the city; it houses the slab on which Emilian slept, an oratory and the “seat of female fertility”. 

Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion

On the upper part of the town, is the Eglise Collegiale, a Romanesque sanctuary probably built in the 11th century, when in 1080 the Archbishop of Bordeaux reformed the monastery. It housed the college of Augustinian canons which remained in this monastery until the end of the French Revolution. The church, with its impressive bell tower, shows evidence of many architectural and decorative changes made during the different eras of construction: the Romanesque and Gothic style coexists both in the church and in its cloister. The latter, which replaces an older one, probably built at the end of the 12th century, stands south of the Romanesque nave. 

Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion


Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion

Also worth a visit, the ruins of the 14th-century Cordeliers Cloister, where today you can have a stroll or sit down to enjoy a glass of wine.

Here each alley hides a little treasure, if you take the time to look all around and discover the characteristic details! We were seduced by the elegance of the limestone buildings with its golden reflections so typical of the village, and by the picturesque cobbled streets overlooking the vineyards.

Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion

Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion

Saint Emilion
Saint Emilion

The medieval city welcomes more than a million tourists each year, the majority of whom are mainly interested in wine. But other than the wine tastings, Saint-Emilion has also a real historical and gastronomic heritage and it's a good destinations for hikers, since there are plenty of circular walks around the city to explore the beautiful landscape!

TIPS AND INFO:

1. Saint Emilion is approximately 2 hours drive from Sarlat and our B&B.

2. Your first stop in town should be at the tourist office, to book your visit of the monolithic church and to get any extra material.

3. We strongly suggest you to walk one of the circular trails that run around the town. We did the Entre Combes et Coteaux Paysages Unesco and we were amazed by the beauty of the landscape, punctuated by the various elegant manoirs.

4. The city centre is full of wine bars offering tastings of selected wines; this is definitely a good way to approach some of the local wines, but we highly recommend visiting one of the many wineries in the surrounding countryside to better understand the conditions that create some of the most prestigious and expensive wines in the world.

Location: Saint-Émilion, France

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