Southern accents in Burgundy
The villages, typical of this part of the Mâconnais and southern Burgundy, are remarkable both for their location and their spatial organization. They originate from Gallo-Roman villas in the narrow valley bottoms formed by rivers such as the Denante and its tributaries. They are inserted between rocks, spread out on slopes or cling to reliefs.
A typical architecture
The geography and agricultural occupation of the territory of the Grand Site have forced a very specific organization of the construction of the village centers.
The habitat is regroup in hamlets sometimes placed in the middle of a vast expanse of vines, but always in the presence of a water point. This is evidenced by the numerous wash houses.
Residential houses, mostly winegrowers, are organized on two floors around an enclosed courtyard. The ground floor is dedicated to the wine business. The first floor, which is accessed by a staircase parallel to the facade opening onto a covered gallery, houses the living area. The openings turn to the south and the facades located to the north have only a few small openings. The low-pitched roofs and round tiles, as well as the warm colors of the facades, give a spirit southern to this distinctive architecture.
Among the remarkable constructions which shape the landscape of the villages, the church of Bussières, the castle of Essartaux in Bussières and that of Chasselas, are three classified buildings Look out.
inspiration notebooks
During the summers of 2022 and 2023, Lise Geutal and Estelle Contoux, Master of Architecture students atNational School of Architecture of Lyon, have created 10 inspiration notebooks on the architecture and landscape of the villages of the Grand Site. In these notebooks of 16 pages covered with drawings andwatercolors, Lise and Estelle highlight the specificities specific to each village, and the characteristics they share and establish the identity of the Grand Site.
Strolling along the alleys, Lise and Estelle approach the landscape et architecture through remarkable buildings, unique elements, colors and materials. Their drawings are enriched with comments on their observations, their feelings, their research and their exchanges with the inhabitants of the villages. Together, the 10 notebooks form a lovely stroll from village to village, from Charnay-lès-Mâcon, passing through Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly, Vergisson, Prissé, Davayé, Leynes, Chasselas and Cenves to Bussières along the Petite Grosne.
Along the ride
The ten villages crossed share the theme of Pierre in buildings and small vineyard works, this limestone, typical of the Mâconnais, whose ocher color range goes from light beige to pink, sometimes embellished by coatings in the same colors. Housing, businesses and public services are densely grouped in the village hearts and hamlets. The rest of the territory is mainly occupied by vine bocage meadows and in the forest. In most villages, gallery houses are oriented towards the south. The building is located on the slope. The facades are aligned with the street and, often, the courtyards are closed by high surrounding walls punctuated by carriage doors and cart porches.
Each village also has its own identity and knows how to distinguish itself from the others. The walker discovers, for example, the opening onto the large landscape of Great Site from the old town of Charnay-les-Macon. This municipality is characterized by its two parts. One, old, rural and facing the territory of the Grand Site, rubs shoulders with the other, more recent, urban and close to the city of Mâcon.
Continuing the walk towards Run away, religious heritage seems to impose itself in the heart of the village. At first glance, the prestige of its imposing contemporary church calls out to the walker, then the remarkable rehabilitation of the old deconsecrated church, into a shop and tasting cellar, seduces him.
A Solutre-Pouilly and Vergisson, the two unmissable rocky promontories catch the eye, visible from every alley. It clearly appears that the construction and organization of villages responds to the geographical constraints, between the steep slope of the cuesta on one side and the humid valley floor on the other.
In the heart of the village of Prized, the walker crosses the river Little Grosne, crossing it from north to south. It punctuates the urban settlements and offers numerous green spaces where it is pleasant to stroll.
A Davaye, pedestrian connections allow you to reach the different places in the village. Going up to the old town, narrow streets lead to pretty private gardens, freely accessible to the public.
Arrived at Leynes, the stones of the buildings are a little more golden. This is the approach of Beaujolais where the limestone is richer in iron oxide. Numerous works linked to the water path, notably the Arlois river, lead to an orchard that the town has managed to preserve and enhance.
hydraulic works punctuate the walk to the village of Chasselas . A volcanic episode marks the landscape of this town with a bubble of magma on which only heather grows and gives it the name “ black rock ". The blue building stones, also visible in the neighboring village of Cenves, come from this geological phenomenon.
Cenves is the only commune in the Grand Site which is not located in Saône-et-Loire but in the Rhône. It is the commune of 47 hamlets some of which are ancient villages, organized around a church and a hydraulic system. Many characteristics link it to the nine other villages, but it has its own personality, the kind that is attributed to the villages of the Massif Central mountains.
La Petite Grosne then leads the walker to Bussieres, final stage of the walk. The village backs onto its famous hill, the Monsard, and looks south. It is full of beautiful properties with very different styles that mingle with local traditional building. Here the walls are lower, the gates are open and the gardens are visible to passers-by.
10 notebooks by Lise and Estelle come in a pocket with a map of the route of the walk. A digital version is available on the town hall and Grand Site websites. This work is the culmination of a partnership between the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson, the CAUE of Saône-et-Loire and the communes.