Autumn break and general meeting in Autun (Saône et Loire), 03 to 05 November 2023
Enrico Alberini, the IT and travel managers and, of course, the 'locals', the late Nicole and Jean-Claude Durand, all contributed to this page presenting the trip.
Autun in the Saône-et-Loire region will be the venue for our autumn break and theAnnual General Meeting in 2023.
Presentation of Autun
The Saône-et-Loire region is the venue for this year's Annual General Meeting and the associated autumn break.
Situated in the south of the Morvan Massif, the town of Autun (altitude 310 m), sub-prefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department, is classified as a "Town of Art and History". It has a population of around 13,500. In the 19th century, it was an industrial town (exploitation of Autun oil shale since antiquity and of fluorite), but Autun had to convert during the 20th century, leading to the installation of large factories including Bas Dim and Nexans (industrial cabling factory).
A few points of history
The city became the capital of the Eduens (Gallic people) after Julius Caesar defeated Vercingetorix at Alesia. Around 15 BC, the Roman emperor Augustus, wishing to consolidate Roman power, founded the city of Augustodunum (City of Augustus); its motto was "Sister and emulator of Rome", which became "Autun gauloise, sœur et émule de Rome", inscribed on the pediment of today's Town Hall.
Autun has preserved many traces of this era. With ten standing remains, Autun is the first Gallo-Roman site north of the Loire. Of particular interest:
- The ramparts, once lined with 53 towers, are 6 km long, three-quarters of which still remain.
Two of the four gates that gave access to the Gallo-Roman city have survived:
- the Porte Saint-André (below) and the Porte d'Arroux.
- The Roman theatre (148 m in diameter) could seat 20,000 spectators
- The temple of Janus built in the Ie century AD. Former tower 24 m high. Only two sections are still visible.
In the Middle Ages, starting in 1120, Autun, on the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela from Vézelay, began building the Romanesque church of Saint-Lazare (from Aix-en-Provence, a 5th-century bishop), which was consecrated a "cathedral" in the 20th century (currently being restored). It was completed in 1146.
This cathedral is famous for its tympanum (completely restored in 2009), dedicated to the Last Judgement, and its numerous capitals (around fifty), some of which are historiated, the 23 others depicting foliage. The tympanum and most of the capitals are attributed to the sculptor Gislebertus.
The tympanum, plastered over by the monks (18th century) who did not appreciate the sculptures, thus escaped the damage caused by the Revolution.
It should be noted that the trumeau adorning the portal, depicting Saint Lazarus and his two sisters, dates from the 19th century.
In the 19th century, the building was listed by Prosper Mérimée, then Inspector General of Historic Monuments, and restored by Viollet-le-Duc.
Two buildings date from the modern era:
- The Lycée Militaire - This building, built in 1675, was in turn a major seminary, hospital and prison. A military school since 1885, it became a military college in 1983.
The school has preserved its cloister and glazed tile roofs.
- The Lycée Bonaparte - Built in 1709 - Former Jesuit college. It owes its name to the fact that Napoleon Bonaparte and his brother Joseph were pupils there for a few months. You can admire the wrought iron railings representing "school instruments".
Several of Autun's monuments date from this period:
- The covered passageway of the market hall.
- The Italian-style theatre - Built in 1884.
- The Town Hall
- The former circular prison. Disused since 1955. One of the first French prisons to use solitary confinement.
The routes
There will be a circuit on Saturday and another on Sunday morning. These can be done either by road bike or mountain bike, as the paths are very practicable. Although the region doesn't have many mountain passes, you'll still be able to pick up a few.
Links to tours
If you'd like to get a taste of the landscapes we're about to discover, I invite you to visit the website of Guy Garcin, who took part in the Brevet Cyclomontagnard du Morvan in 2012.
Hosting
Note from the Board of Directors
If you are organising your accommodation elsewhere than in the holiday village, don't forget to register as a "Simple Participant":
- To be able to correctly size joint events (information sessions, welcome and closing drinks).
- To be able to provide the residence booklet.
- To ensure that the costs of preparation and organisation are correctly allocated...
We will be staying at the Espace Saint EX, a member of the Ethic Etapes network. This accommodation has 116 beds in 53 rooms.
Espace Saint EX
3 rue Saint-Exupéry
71400 Autun
Tel: +33 (0)3 85 86 58 30 - Fax: +33 (0)3 85 86 58 32
Email : accueil@espacesaintex.fr
https://www.espacesaintex.org
Other accommodation options
The commune has several public car parks near Espace Saint Ex: parking for motor caravans is permitted but there are no connections (electricity, water, etc.).
Camping car area
Plan d'eau du Vallon - Route de Chalon-sur-Saône - 71400 Autun
Registrations
To register, download the PDF registration form from the link below and follow the instructions therein.
Please note that the registration form includes two pages You will also need to sign the conditions governing the operation of the "solidarity fund". If you plan to be accompanied by your partner, be sure to register him/her as an associate member with your Territorial Delegate beforehand, and don't forget to enter his/her associate membership number in the box provided. If, and only if, a participant does not hold an FFCT licence, he/she must also take out compulsory insurance. Participation in the Solidarity Fund is included in the registration fee.
Depending on when you arrive and when you leave, the package is different:
- If you arrive on Friday for dinner and leave on Sunday after lunch, you will be charged €154.
- If you arrive on Saturday afternoon after the AGM and leave on Sunday morning, you will be charged €63 for the half-board package.
- If you arrive on Saturday afternoon after the AGM and leave on Sunday after lunch, you will be charged €83 for the full-board package.
- If you are coming without accommodation (either an overnight stay or your own accommodation), you can register for the Friday evening meal (€21), the Saturday lunch (€21), the Saturday evening gourmet dinner (€29) and/or the Sunday lunch (€21).
- And so on.
You can pay the registration fee by cheque or by transfer to the Club's account. In view of the additional fees charged, we do not accept payment by PayPal.
Members are allocated in the order in which the cheque is sent or the transfer is made. For the former, the postmark will be taken as proof, for the latter, please send us a copy of the transfer order. If the holiday is full, a waiting list will be set up, which will operate according to the same priority allocation rules as for direct enrolments.
Download the newsletter
- Autun registration form
- Modulo d'iscrizione Autun
- Autun form registration
The deadline for receipt of entries is 05 September 2023.
Trombinoscope
When we meet up at trips (and other events), we meet a lot of friends and acquaintances, but we're not sure we know everyone's name, and we don't always dare admit it or ask. To try to remedy this, as announced at the Bédoin AGM, we propose to prepare and display a trombinoscope of all the participants, with the photo, name and membership number of all those who have sent us (either beforehand or with their registration) their photo and permission to publish it on the trombinoscope page of the Club's website. You can send a digital photo of your face alone as a JPG file of good definition and quality, with a width/height ratio of ¾, clearly mentioning your name and membership number, to photodemembre@centcols.orgor directly at sejours@centcols.org who will pass on the information. Make sure you tick the yes or no box on the registration form, depending on whether you accept or not. If no box is ticked, the answer will be deemed negative.
General Meeting of the Club des Cent Cols
It will be held on site on Saturday afternoon. For more details, go to Annual General Meeting.
The invitation to the meeting and the statutory documents will be sent out as usual via an Info Cent Cols in October and will also be available on the website.
At the end of the work, we'll have a drinks reception to allow us to get together in a less formal way.
Other activities or visits
For those accompanying you, we can suggest a number of visits to Autun, a town steeped in history, and the surrounding area.
- its ancient heritage (Saint-Lazare cathedral, Roman theatre, ancient ramparts)
- Couches Castle
- its museums (Musée Rolin, Maison des Galvachers, Musée du Campagnonnage)
- its gastronomy
- Bibracte archaeological site (27 km away) on Mont Beuvray at an altitude of 821 metres
It remains open to visitors all year round. There is free vehicular access every day, except in the event of severe bad weather. The museum is open from 18 March to 12 November. It has been classified as a Natura 2000 site.
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