Chiddes between Romanesque architecture and rolling hills

Chiddes combines a Romanesque church with surroundings characterised by woodland and gentle hills. Visitors will find two distinct interests side by side: the architectural history of Saint-Étienne and walking. Chiddes has three local circular walking routes; trails pass through wooded, hilly terrain, including the GR76 between Suin and Cluny. The granite terrain gives the landscape a distinctive character. Whether you would like to discover the village through its architecture or on foot, you will find practical starting points for planning your visit.

The Church of Saint-Étienne

The main building phase of the Church of Saint-Étienne dates to the first quarter of the 12th century. It has a Romanesque transept, a bell tower and an apse with a calotte vault dating from the first half of the 12th century. Since 2018, the entire church has been protected as a Monument historique. To understand the architecture, it is helpful to distinguish between the terms: a transept is the section of a church built across its main body; an apse forms the terminal section of the church interior. A calotte vault is a dome-shaped type of vault. The two dates serve different purposes: the first quarter dates the main building phase, while the first half places the Romanesque features mentioned in their historical context. The protection status, in place since 2018, belongs to a later period and applies to the entire building. This makes it possible to see the building history, architectural description and heritage protection as three different perspectives on the same church. “Monument historique” is the French term for this heritage protection category; in Chiddes, protection applies to the entire church building.

Walking and landscape

Chiddes lies in granite terrain amid wooded, gently rolling landscapes. The three local circular walking routes are linked to the Les Marions viewpoint. From there, they offer views of the du Plessy wash house and the ponds of Dondin, as well as a distant view of the Butte de Suin. The panorama therefore includes named features of different kinds: a wash house as a built structure, ponds and a distant hill. The contrast between these features and the far-reaching view lends different accents to the same panorama. Those who enjoy identifying specific landscape features will find more here than a general description of wooded hills.

The GR76, which runs between Suin and Cluny, is one of the walking trails through wooded, hilly landscapes. The three local circular routes are associated with the views from Les Marions, while the GR76 is defined by its route between two named places. For planning your visit, the viewpoints or these place names can offer different ways to orient yourself.

Getting around locally

Parking is available at the town hall and the event hall on the D307, 300 metres from the Church of Saint-Étienne. Parking locations, the road and the distance are therefore specified for those visiting the church. Check local parking conditions before you arrive.

Discover more destinations: Curgy, Saint-Albain, La Chapelle-Saint-Sauveur, Buxy, Melay, Amanzé, Vaux-En-Pré and Mazille.

Go to the regional travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.