by Arthur Gillette

From central Paris Métro line N° 13 to its Basilique de St-Denis end-station takes about half an hour, but it conveys you back some 1760 years. Around 250 BC Denis, the first Bishop of Paris martyred by the Romans, was buried in this now rather industrial suburb. 

According to legend, he was decapitated atop Mons Martyrium (Montmartre), then picked up his head and staggered several kilometers until he fell, dead, here.  (The alternative interpretation is that the Romans would never have martyred a Christian evangelist in the countryside – compare the very public decapitations at the Coliseum in Rome – and that Denis would have rather met his fate at the Arènes de Lutèce. It's known that there was a temple to Mars atop Montmartre; whence Mons Martis?)  Be that as it may, Denis – sainted - was probably buried on the spot of today's basilica. And that gave rise to pilgrimages that continue until today.

In the 7th century, King Dagobert built a new church here and decided to be buried in it. Thus was founded the tradition according to which the deceased kings would be buried on this spot.  Pilgrims became so numerous that, around 1140, a new and much bigger church had to be built. It is basically the one you can see and visit today. Erected in an early Gothic style, it stressed height and – thanks to flying buttresses taking the roof's weight off the walls – light streaming in through huge stained glass windows. 

The Saint Denis Basilica influenced other Gothic creations, including the Cathedral at Chartres and, much nearer, Notre Dame de Paris, begun just under a quarter of a century later.  At the end of the 18th century, the Revolution deconsecrated the church and transformed it into a 'Temple of Reason', then an artillery storehouse. Much of the royal statuary was smashed and the kings’ bodies were dumped into a huge common grave, so the tombs you can admire today are in fact empty.

After Napoleon came to power he decided to return the Saint Denis Basilica to the Catholic Church as the burial place of his dynasty. Elba, Waterloo and St. Helena ensued, so that plan didn't work out. Following the resumption of the French monarchy in 1815, the church was in sorry shape and it was decided to restore it. Unfortunately, the architect assigned to this task used very heavy stone to rebuild the north spire of the façade, and it had to be dismantled. Hence the lopsided façade you can see today! 
 
 
 
 

The restoration did, however, include new sculpture recalling royal burials, such as this 1830 sculpture for the post-Revolutionary burial at Saint Denis of the remains of guillotined King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.

Feeling overpowered after visiting the Gothic glory and up-and-down history of Saint Denis Basilica, actually raised to Cathedral rank in 1966?  I suggest a soothing stroll along the nearby Canal Saint Denis, although perhaps a bit industrial, but a walk along its banks is relaxing all the same.
 
 

Saint Denis is also home to the the Stade de France, considered to be the stadium of the future.  With 80,000 seats beneath shelters, it offers meeting and conference facilities, restaurants and exhibition space in addition to hosting football, rugby, opera, concerts, and motor sports.  This is France's national stadium and was constructed for the 1998 World Cup of Football (soccer) which France just happened to win that year in this stadium when it defeated Brazil 3-0 on the 12th of July.
 
 

Have Pen, Will Travel . . .

In the last issue we told about a creative writing tour to France ~ and now we have more details for you.  A click on this link, September Writing Tour*, will provide a complete itinerary and prices for those interested in joining the group.  From Paris to Brittany's St-Malo and Normandy's Le Mont St Michel, this will be a trip to remember always. [*Please note this is a change since this newsletter was first sent out.  The April tour has been moved to September.]

For information and answers to your questions, contact Kitty Snyman of Rufaro Destinations at kitty@rufaro.co.za or Yvette Wilsenach at yvette@w2.co.za.  Although the itinerary mentions travel from Johannesburg to Paris and the prices are in the South African rand, everyone is welcome to join the tour.  Yvette or Kitty can answer your questions about converting the cost to your currency and all other questions you might have.  There will be two guides on the tour, one native English speaker and the other fluent in both English and French.   Please mention FRANCE On Your Own when you contact them.  Merci!
 
 

. . .dusty, winding roads . . .

We couldn't resist stealing a few lines from Vin en Vacances web site because they paint a wonderful picture of what would be in store for anyone joining their tours.  "Take a drive along its dusty winding roads and discover this amazing land smothered in wild sage, thyme and rosemary and huge craggy rock outcrops highlighting the rows of grape vines below. Ancient villages sit on hill tops, medieval castles stand proudly on mountains and the magnificent Carcassonne citadel, with its fluttering red flags flying in the wind, welcomes you to this unique part of the world."

Wendy Gedney was first introduced to the area twenty years ago by her late husband who knew a thing or two about wine and told her to watch out for what was slowly taking place here. He predicted that the simple country wines of those days would be replaced by some of the most exciting wines France would produce, and he was right. Today, there are a great many excellent producers, and many of the wines they make are world class. 

Typically the people who join Wendy's tours are novices where wine is concerned, such as the group of Americans Wendy collected one morning last summer. The tour started with a lovely twenty-minute drive through the vineyard region of the Minervois eventually arriving at the ancient village of Rieux-Minervois. When putting the tour together Wendy had gleaned that the group was very interested in the history of the region as well as the wines. So she had included this village because it has a very unusual seven-sided church containing some incredible carvings produced by an anonymous sculptor who is now called 'The Master of Cabestany' and who was active in the second half of the 12th century. 

The village is also home to a wonderful old chateau and winery, Château de Rieux, where Emmanuel de Soos produces some of the finest wines of the region.  It is a winery that Wendy often includes on her tours. As this is a one-man operation, Emmanuel is often very busy working in the vineyards, and on this day he had left the key to the winery in the usual secret place ~ Wendy let herself in. The century-old building still has some of the huge foudre, those wooden containers used to make wine a century ago that pre-date the concrete and stainless steel tanks used today. The group was shown around the winery, and Wendy explained the fascinating processes used today to produce quality wine. As a wine teacher, Wendy also took the group through a tutored tasting providing them with skills they will find invaluable when buying wine in any country.

Lunch was a 3-course meal in one of the country restaurants, and as one guest put it, "We would never have found that place on our own. It was full of locals, and that's always a good sign that the food will be excellent". And it was.

The next stop was the incredible village of Minerve. Millions of years ago the waters that powered through these limestone valleys created two amazing gorges now called the Cesse and the Brian. One river swirls in from the west and the other from the north and their confluence is at the foot of the village of Minerve that was built on the rock that formed between the two rivers. It's almost an island, and eight hundred years ago the only way in was across the drawbridge of the castle that dominated the limestone rock. It was at that time that a small group of Cathars fled from Béiers and took refuge here believing that the village was invincible due to its topography. Simon de Montfort put siege to the village and bombarded the only well with huge catapults.  The Cathars had to surrender and lost their lives. 

The village is very beautiful, and Wendy's guests had time to wander the tiny cobbled streets before heading to the next vineyard in the village of Saint-Jean-de-Minervois. Here they met John and Nicole Bojonowski of Clos du Gravillas who began producing wine here eleven years ago. John is from Kentucky, and Nicole is a local girl from Narbonne. They met one summer when John was visiting the region, they fell in love, and they've been married for twenty years. They are now living their dream of making superb organic wine that expresses the landscape from where it is grown. We took a walk through the white limestone vineyards that this village is famous for and where intoxicating Muscat wine is grown that tastes so different from the Muscat wine produced elsewhere in France. Why?  In a nutshell, it's the limestone and the altitude. John and Nicole also produce some excellent red and white wines from their tiny boutique winery  ~ wines that are handmade, rare and enjoyed in some of the finest restaurants in France. 

On the drive home ~ as well as stopping to taste local olive oil scented with the rosemary and thyme growing wild on the hillsides ~ the group enjoyed the amazing scenery as the road winds through vineyards and olive groves with the Pyrénées in the background. They had met some wonderful people and tasted some excellent wines produced by passionate people who work long and hard and fight against the elements to create impressive and individual wines for us all to enjoy. The tour had opened their eyes to the hard work and dedication of the wine makers of this region, and as Wendy put it, "Wine does not come out of a bottle; it goes into one!"

Wendy runs open and private tours from one to three days duration between April and October. Visit Wendy's web site www.vinenvacances.com or email her for details at wendy@vinenvacances.com or phone her at +44(0)7880 796786. Wine tours are always something done best with experts who have access to the château vineyards and a knowledge of wines, wine production and history.  Do consider Vin en Vacances to visit the wonderful Languedoc-Roussillon wine region.