Bar-sur-Seine
Strolling in the Grande Rue de la Resistance can be seen, close to the Porte de Châtillon, the old chapel of St. Jon the Baptist, converted into an exhibition room for the Goncourt Media library.
Farer, at number 118, the former chapel of the Passion (16th c.) with Corinthian pilasters and capitals, has on its front the maxim «virtutis esto, non fortuna comes» (count about your virtues, not your luck). Many half-timbered houses are still visible in Bar-sur-Seine, including the house of the 16th century (a showroom).
Down the Rue de la République, you can admire the Renaissance house on the corner with Rue Victor Hugo. On a ledge, stands a statue of St. Roch and his dog. On the pinion is a cartridge showing the date 1580 and the motto: «Better a little with righteousness than large income without equity», which became the town’s motto.
Steps away is St. Etienne church, built between 1505 and 1616, which combines Renaissance and Classic elements with Gothic architecture. It contains sculptures and stained glass windows from the Troyes School. It has an organ, purchased in 1791, installed in 1793 and restored in 1989.
Crossing the Seine River on the footbridge at the end of impasse Pilot, you can stroll along the walk of Croc Ferrand and continue to the Castle of Val Seine and its beautiful park.
You can also go up to the Tour de l’Horloge (Clock Tower) by the staircase Jeanne de Navarre or by the path, to contemplate the Bar-sur-Seine from the vestiges of the castle of the Counts of Bar. The Clock Tower is the only remnant of this castle, where was born Jeanne de Navarre, Countess of Champagne, who would become Queen of France. A half hour there and back.
If the mood takes you, you can continue –on the circuit of three chapels- to Notre-Dame-du Chêne (Our Lady of the Oak), chapel built in 1867 around a tree sheltering a rustic statue of the virgin, and continue to the chapel of the twelfth century Templar Commandery in the hamlet of Avalleur. Allow three hours round trip.
Last updated on 17/06/2020 - Office de Tourisme de la Côte des Bar en Champagne
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