Discover Varennes-sous-Dun

Varennes-sous-Dun lies in the Sornin Valley. The commune offers several distinct points of interest to help you plan your trip: the Balade des Faillettes, associated with woodland and folklore; the Chapelle de la Croix Bouthier; and historic churches and crosses. The Château de Grandvaux adds a distinctive architectural perspective to these themes. Landscape, architectural history, and local memory each offer a different focus.

Landscape and the Balade des Faillettes

The Balade des Faillettes starts and ends in Varennes-sous-Dun. The village is therefore both the starting point and the destination of the walking route. It passes through the Bois de Chemineau, where the legend of les Faillettes, the little fairies, originated. The forest is thus not just a named section of the route, but also the place associated with the legend. If you plan to take the walk, check the latest route details, as they may be updated. This connection between place and local storytelling gives the route a cultural dimension alongside its focus on the landscape.

The chapel and its architectural history

The Chapelle de la Croix Bouthier is open to the public and tourists. It dates from the 15th century, was rebuilt at its current site in 1929, and was restored in 2021. These dates mark different stages: the 15th century refers to the chapel’s origins, 1929 to its reconstruction at its current site, and 2021 to its restoration. This distinction helps put the building’s history into context without conflating its origins with its reconstruction. Visiting arrangements may vary; please check them before your visit.

Churches and places of remembrance

The village church was built in the mid-19th century in the Gothic Revival style. It replaced an earlier church dating from the late Middle Ages. It is therefore important to distinguish between the predecessor and the village church when considering their dates: the medieval date refers to the older church, while the mid-19th century date refers to the construction of the village church.

In the hamlet of Les Croix, the oldest church in the commune commemorates the murder of three cloth merchants who were robbed and stabbed. Another place of remembrance is the Croix des Rongeaux: it was blessed in 1898 and commemorates a wooden cross in the nearby hamlet of Les Chambons that was destroyed during the Revolution. The two dates refer to different events: 1898 to the blessing of the Croix des Rongeaux, and the period of the Revolution to the destruction of the earlier wooden cross.

The architecture of the Château de Grandvaux

The Château de Grandvaux offers another architectural point of interest. Its design is dominated by a large square main building, or keep, flanked by two round towers. It also features mullioned and cross-mullioned windows, as well as several loopholes. The basic shape and towers define its silhouette, while the window styles and loopholes are other distinctive details. A mullion divides a window opening vertically; a cross-mullioned window also has a horizontal division. This helps distinguish the two window styles and understand them, together with the towers, as elements of the architectural design.

Discover more destinations: Palinges, Dennevy, Chauffailles, Plottes, Saint-Didier-en-Brionnais, Burnand, Chamilly, Fleury-La-Montagne

For the wider travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.