Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: Sent Milion) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in Southwestern France.

In the heart of the country of Libournais (the area around Libourne), in a region of wine hills, Saint-Émilion is a medieval city located at the crossroads of Bordeaux, Saintonge and Périgord. The town and surrounding vineyards was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, owing to its long, living history of wine-making, Romanesque churches and ruins stretching all along steep and narrow streets.

History

Saint-Émilion's history goes back at least 35,000 years, to the Upper Paleolithic. An oppidum was built on the hill overlooking the present-day city in Gaulish times, before the region was annexed by Augustus in 27 BC. was renamed after the Breton monk Émilion (Emilian) of Combes (d. 767). According to tradition, Émilion started as a bread-maker for the Count of Vannes. While bringing bread to the poor, a lord angrily approached Émilion and asked him what he was carrying. "These are pieces of wood intended to warm the poor", Émilion lied. He opened his coat and miraculously, the loaves of bread had transformed into wood. This wonder gave Émilion a high reputation, though he eventually left the manor to create the Hermitage of Saint-Émilion, carved from a rock shelter in a deserted forest. Émilion lived in the oratory until his death in 767, when Waiofar was the Duke of Aquitaine. The monks who followed him started commercial wine production in the area.

Because the region was located on the route of the Camino de Santiago, many monasteries and churches were built during the Middle Ages, and in 1199, while under Plantagenet rule, the town was granted full rights.

The Jurade of Saint-Émilion is a prestigious brotherhood, founded in 1199 by John, King of England, that preserves the memory of Saint-Émilion wines and promotes them worldwide. The authority of the Jurade lasted until the French Revolution in 1789, but was revived again in 1948. Today, the 140 jurats, who wear red robes, organize wine receptions and induction ceremonies.

Geography and description

Saint-Émilion is located east of Bordeaux, between Libourne and Castillon-la-Bataille. Saint-Émilion station has rail connections to Bordeaux, Bergerac and Sarlat-la-Canéda. Vineyards make up more than 67% of the land area of the commune.

Sights

Monolithic Church of Saint-Émilion

The monolithic church of Saint-Émilion is an 11th century church carved entirely out of a limestone cliff. It is one of the largest underground churches in Europe, with an estimated of rock extracted. The great hall measures long and wide, divided into three naves of six bays. Like many medieval structures, the church probably had a rich décor of painted murals; however, only a few bits of fresco remain. Iconographic works, such as depictions of lions, serpents, centaurs, and cherubim, can be seen on the walls and ceilings, possibly in reference to Psalms. Visitors can enter the church and view its catacombs.

No documents exist that discuss the building of the monolithic church, but it is hypothesized that construction took place from the late 11th century to the early 12th century. Its purpose was probably to venerate and conserve the body of the 8th century Breton monk Saint Émilion. Other sources say the Tour du Roy is not royal, and was merely the municipal bell tower for the town hall until its 1720 razing by the Jurade to enlarge the other town hall in Market Square. The Tour du Roy has a height of almost and a width of more than . Visitors can climb inside the square tower for a panoramic view of the town. The tower is used by the Jurade to proclaim the judgment of new wine on the third Sunday of June, and the harvest ban on the third Sunday of September.

|percentages = pagr

|align = none

|1968 |3403

|1975 |3323

|1982 |3010

|1990 |2799

|1999 |2345

|2009 |2005

|2014 |1893

|2020 |1844

Saint-Émilion Jazz Festival

Since 2012, Saint-Émilion hosts a jazz festival at the end of July.

Notable people

  • Marguerite-Élie Guadet
  • Clément Fayat

See also

  • Cordeliers Cloister
  • Bordeaux wine
  • French wine
  • Plan Bordeaux
  • Bordeaux wine regions
  • Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
  • Communes of the Gironde department
  • Cour Saint-Émilion (Paris Métro)

References

  • Saint-Émilion tourist office website
  • aerial photography of the Saint-Émilion and Aquitaine area
  • Cash-strapped French wine town Saint Emilion sells off historical monument RFI English