Autun, a town with ca. 15,000 inhabitants and located ca. 300
The Romans called
it Augustodunum, and this is the origin of the modern name Autun.
Napoleon and his older brother Joseph went to school there. The former Jesuit college which they attended is now a secondary school named after the older brother: Lycée Joseph Bonaparte. The brothers arrived there in 1779. At the time, Napoleon was only about 10 years old, and the French Revolution was still 10 years away.
Napoleon and his older brother Joseph went to school there. The former Jesuit college which they attended is now a secondary school named after the older brother: Lycée Joseph Bonaparte. The brothers arrived there in 1779. At the time, Napoleon was only about 10 years old, and the French Revolution was still 10 years away.
He did not stay long: after only three and a half months he left
the town (and his brother) to attend a military academy in Brienne. Despite the
brief stay he evidently had fond memories of the place: as an adult, he visited
Autun no less than four times.
* * *
Alain Rebourg,
New edition prepared by Christian Goudineau,
With contributions from Herveline Delhumeau,
Autun antique: guides archéologiques de la France,
monum: Éditions du patrimoine, 2002, 128 pages
* * *
Talleyrand (1754-1838) was appointed Bishop of Autun shortly before the
French Revolution in 1789. Like Napoleon, he did not stay long, but long enough
to get a seat in the assembly which was later transformed into the National Parliament.
The brief period as Bishop of Autun was thus the beginning of his long and
controversial career as a powerful politician and diplomat.
Autun is a charming town, situated in a hilly landscape. It is so small that you can get to know it quite fast. In many cases you can walk from place to place, because the distance is so short.
Lonely Planet's guidebook about France has four pages about Autun, including one page with a map and three pages with text about the town’s history, attractions, hotels, and restaurants as well as some practical information about how to get there.
This is not bad, but it is, on the other hand, rather brief, especially with regard to the ancient monuments. Fortunately, there is a guidebook which focuses on Augustodunum.
Autun is a charming town, situated in a hilly landscape. It is so small that you can get to know it quite fast. In many cases you can walk from place to place, because the distance is so short.
Lonely Planet's guidebook about France has four pages about Autun, including one page with a map and three pages with text about the town’s history, attractions, hotels, and restaurants as well as some practical information about how to get there.
This is not bad, but it is, on the other hand, rather brief, especially with regard to the ancient monuments. Fortunately, there is a guidebook which focuses on Augustodunum.
The first edition (from 1986) is written by Alain
Rebourg, who died in 1999. The second edition (from 2002) is edited and
updated by Christian Goudineau (with contributions from Herveline Delhumeau). As far as I know, it is only available in French.
The book is divided into three sections:
The first section presents the history of the ancient town. Here we are told that:
The book is divided into three sections:
The first section presents the history of the ancient town. Here we are told that:
** Emperor
Constantine I (also known as Constantine the Great) visited this town in 311
** The town's
Bishop Reticius attended a church council held in Rome in 313 and another
church council held in Arles in 314
** Magnentius (in French: Magnence) was
proclaimed emperor in this town in January 350 (pp. 25-43)
The second section presents the ancient monuments: The so-called Janus temple; the northern gate (Porte d'Arroux); the eastern gate (Porte Saint-André); a theatre that could seat more than 20,000 spectators, and a pyramid called Pierre de Couhard.
The second section presents the ancient monuments: The so-called Janus temple; the northern gate (Porte d'Arroux); the eastern gate (Porte Saint-André); a theatre that could seat more than 20,000 spectators, and a pyramid called Pierre de Couhard.
The ancient town wall is partially preserved, especially in
two places: On the western side of town, along Boulevard des Résistants-Fusillés and Boulevard Mac Mahon,
and on the eastern side of town, along Chemin de la Maladière, between the
theatre and the small lake, Plan d'eau du Vallon.
The footpath that runs along
the lake is called Allée Marcel Lucotte. Inside the town, on Rue de la Jambe-de-Bois,
you can see a small stretch of the Roman road, Cardo Maximus (pp. 45-103).
The third section presents two local museums that have a Gallo-Roman collection. The first is Musée Rolin. The second is Musée lapidaire Saint-Nicolas.
The third section presents two local museums that have a Gallo-Roman collection. The first is Musée Rolin. The second is Musée lapidaire Saint-Nicolas.
The section about the two museums is written by Brigitte
Maurice-Chabard who is a conservator at Musée Rolin (pp. 105-121).
The book concludes with a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, and a page with some practical information about the museums.
There is no index. But there is a proposed itinerary for a walk through ancient Autun. The route has 12 points, plus the museums mentioned above. There is a short text for each of the 12 points, plus a map of the town where the route is marked. The map of the town is printed on the inside of the back-cover. When you fold it out, you have the text of the 12 points and the map of the town side by side.
A guidebook is not only meant to be read, it is also meant to be used. What about this one? Is it any good? The answer is: yes! I had it with me on a trip to Autun, during which I had the opportunity to check its information down to the smallest detail.
The walk worked well. But the time frame given – “one and a half hours on foot and one hour by car” - is not realistic. I recommend that you set aside a full day for the walk.
I also recommend that you set aside half a day to visit Musée Rolin, which is located in the southern part of town, near the cathedral, Catedral Saint-Lazare. The museum is named after Nicolas Rolin, who was born in Autun around 1376 and died in Autun in 1461. The museum is located in his former home (Hôtel Rolin).
The Gallo-Roman collection is not extensive, but there are several interesting items, for instance a sarcophagus with fine reliefs, some polychrome mosaics, some miniature figurines and some tombstones. A ticket is € 3.50. If you wish to use your camera during your visit, you must pay an extra fee of € 1.20.
According to the book, the second museum - Musée lapidaire Saint-Nicolas - can only be visited by appointment. When I was in Autun, I was told that this museum is closed indefinitely. But the book cannot be blamed for a change which occurred after its publication.
This is an excellent book. Read it to prepare your visit to Autun, and take it with you when you are going toFrance
The book concludes with a chronology, a glossary, a bibliography, and a page with some practical information about the museums.
There is no index. But there is a proposed itinerary for a walk through ancient Autun. The route has 12 points, plus the museums mentioned above. There is a short text for each of the 12 points, plus a map of the town where the route is marked. The map of the town is printed on the inside of the back-cover. When you fold it out, you have the text of the 12 points and the map of the town side by side.
A guidebook is not only meant to be read, it is also meant to be used. What about this one? Is it any good? The answer is: yes! I had it with me on a trip to Autun, during which I had the opportunity to check its information down to the smallest detail.
The walk worked well. But the time frame given – “one and a half hours on foot and one hour by car” - is not realistic. I recommend that you set aside a full day for the walk.
I also recommend that you set aside half a day to visit Musée Rolin, which is located in the southern part of town, near the cathedral, Catedral Saint-Lazare. The museum is named after Nicolas Rolin, who was born in Autun around 1376 and died in Autun in 1461. The museum is located in his former home (Hôtel Rolin).
The Gallo-Roman collection is not extensive, but there are several interesting items, for instance a sarcophagus with fine reliefs, some polychrome mosaics, some miniature figurines and some tombstones. A ticket is € 3.50. If you wish to use your camera during your visit, you must pay an extra fee of € 1.20.
According to the book, the second museum - Musée lapidaire Saint-Nicolas - can only be visited by appointment. When I was in Autun, I was told that this museum is closed indefinitely. But the book cannot be blamed for a change which occurred after its publication.
This is an excellent book. Read it to prepare your visit to Autun, and take it with you when you are going to
PS. Auf Roms Spuren: Autun - Festung des Augustus is a documentary film which was shown on German television (ZDF) in February 2023. Run time = 44 minutes. It is available on the ZDF website until September 2025.
see the following items
posted on this blog:
Southern France: An Oxford Archaeological Guide
The Roman Remains of Southern France
Lutetia (Paris)
* * *
Southern France: An Oxford Archaeological Guide
The Roman Remains of Southern France
Lutetia (Paris)
* * *
No comments:
Post a Comment