Chazilly – Dam and Church Art

Chazilly’s cultural themes range from water engineering to church art. The focus is on the dam of the Réservoir de Chazilly and the Église Saint-Martin; historic paths and the wall of the former Chapelle Saint-Lazare complete the picture. This gives you several points of interest to consider when planning your trip: the history of the water supply for the Canal de Bourgogne, the architecture and furnishings of a church, and the surviving structure of a former chapel. The details will help you put these themes in context and decide which one best suits your interests.

Réservoir de Chazilly: water engineering for the Canal de Bourgogne

The dam of the Réservoir de Chazilly was built between 1830 and 1837 to supply the Canal de Bourgogne. The reservoir is one of six that feed the canal at its summit level near Pouilly-en-Auxois. The structure can therefore be understood both in terms of when it was built and its role in the canal system. Its construction date and water-supply function make the dam a specific point of interest for travelers interested in historic infrastructure.

The dam is 536 meters long and 22.50 meters high. These two measurements describe different dimensions of the structure. Together with its purpose, they provide a factual overview: the measurements characterize the dam’s physical form, while its function explains its connection to the Canal de Bourgogne. This helps you distinguish the dam’s size from its purpose when reading about the area’s history.

The paths around the Réservoir also have their own place in the timeline. The paths along the reservoir and the access roads were laid out in 1856 and 1861. These dates come after the dam’s construction and relate to the paths, not its construction. The chronology therefore involves two separate stages: the building of the dam and the later creation of the paths.

Église Saint-Martin: Neo-Gothic architecture and furnishings

The Église Saint-Martin is a 19th-century Neo-Gothic parish church. The style designation and the date serve different purposes: “Neo-Gothic” characterizes the architecture, while the century places the church in time. Gargoyles and sculptures adorn the church; its furnishings also include a richly carved pulpit. This allows you to distinguish the architectural style from specific details of the building and its interior.

The Église Saint-Martin also contains reproductions of six statues from the Puits de Moïse in Dijon. These are copies, not the original statues; the number six refers to the figures reproduced. Together with the pulpit, they represent two different elements of the interior furnishings: a richly carved feature and several statue reproductions. This comparison gives you a specific way to explore the different forms of church art described at Saint-Martin.

The former Chapelle Saint-Lazare

Only one wall of the former Chapelle Saint-Lazare remains; it serves as the cemetery enclosure. This historical feature differs from the Église Saint-Martin: the focus here is not a surviving church and its furnishings, but a section of wall from a former chapel. The wall also serves a practical purpose as an enclosure. In this structure, the chapel’s history is connected with its present-day use—a different kind of heritage from the architecture and furnishings of Saint-Martin or the water engineering at the Réservoir.

Discover more destinations: Fleurey-Sur-Ouche, Blaisy-Bas, Ternant, Vitteaux, Montberthault, Baubigny, Jossigny, Châtellenot.

For the wider travel overview: Cote-Dor.