The best road cycling routes around Saint-Florentin

Excellent restaurant open on Sundays!

Place to discover the craft of stained glass, housed in the former Ervy-le-Châtel prison built in 1833. The exhibition spaces and fun-educational workshops allow you to understand all the stages of stained glass creation. Screening of films on the profession of master glassmaker and on the churches of the Pays d'Armance. The Maison du Vitrail d'Armance offers to discover the emblematic places of Ervy-le-Châtel thanks to a visit on a digital tablet. Three existing versions: adults, children and in English. The tablets can be rented freely during the opening hours of the Maison du stained glass (1€ for the rental of a tablet).

The Burgundy Canal is 242 km long, it connects the Seine basin to the Rhône basin. Previously used for moving goods, but since the 1960s the canal has been used almost exclusively for recreational boating.

Hamlet on the Burgundy Canal. The Château de Percey was built in the 17th century and inhabited by a countess; it was bought in September 2021 and transformed into a gîte.

Church classified as historic monuments, nestled in the center of a pretty village, next to the town hall on the main street where the local shops are also located.

Cistercian monks settled here in 1114, in this valley near the Serein, where a forest reigned. They built a huge abbey: 4000m² on the ground, 120m long. Second daughter of Citeaux, Pontigny is thus the largest Cistercian abbey church in the world. The Revolution put an end to the presence of the monks and the church became parish in 1803. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 1840 in the first list drawn up by Prosper Mérimée, a sign of its heritage importance. Marked by the austere thought of Saint Bernard, the Cistercian church is deliberately devoid of images and colors. The search for spiritual perfection is reflected in an architecture in search of the essential, and which gives importance to the diffusion of natural light. Pontigny perfectly embodies this research. The abbey church marks the transition between Romanesque and Gothic. We can distinguish two construction campaigns with an older part of Romanesque style and a second part influenced by the Gothic style. The road enters the domain and arrives at the foot of the abbey. Above all, do not hesitate to cross the portal.

At the statue of the namesake Paul Bert you will find a small balcony from which you can enjoy the view of the old town in peace.

The cathedral is open for tours during the day and this is not to be missed! It is a major work of French Gothic architecture and impresses with its high, light-flooded vaults and colorful windows. "The cathedral is located in the center of the old town on a hill above the Yonne. Saint-Étienne was begun in 1215. Today's Gothic cathedral is the fifth building on this site. In 1567 the Huguenots sacked the city and the cathedral, which necessitated repairs, particularly to the choir glazing. The French Revolution caused countless damage to the building and its furnishings. The goldsmith's work was melted down, the church was transformed into a temple of reason, and the important statue of the suffering Stephen on the high altar only escaped destruction because it was turned into a suffering Marat in the bath. In 1840 Prosper Mérimée placed the cathedral under monument protection. Extensive restoration work took place throughout the 19th century." Much more about the history here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathedrale_von_Auxerre