The best traffic-free bike rides around Montagny-Sur-Grosne

The Château de Berzé-le-Châtel (also known as Forteresse de Berzé) is the largest and best-preserved medieval castle in southern Burgundy. The site dates back to a 10th-century castrum and was strategically built on a rocky outcrop to protect the nearby powerful Abbey of Cluny. The fortress consists of three concentric walls and features 13 towers (including two keeps/donjons) as well as an imposing gatehouse. The heart inside is a remarkable Carolingian chapel.

The Château de Berzé-le-Châtel (also Forteresse de Berzé) is the largest and best-preserved medieval castle in Southern Burgundy. The complex dates back to a 10th-century castrum and was strategically built on a rocky outcrop to protect the nearby powerful Abbey of Cluny. The fortress consists of three ring walls and has 13 towers (including two keeps/donjons) as well as an imposing gatehouse. The centerpiece inside is a remarkable Carolingian chapel.

Very beautiful castle. Feel free to visit the monks' chapel of Berzé la ville, with very beautiful paintings from the abbey of Cluny

In the Middle Ages, the abbey was one of the most influential spiritual and cultural centers in Europe. Cluny was the mother house of the Cluniac Reform and headed a federation of over 1,200 monasteries. The third abbey church (Cluny was the largest church in the Christian world until the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome). Of the once-mighty complex, only parts of the southern transept remain today, as the abbey was largely used as a quarry and demolished after the French Revolution.

The town of Cluny was based on the Benedictine monastery (Cluniac Abbey), founded in 910. The abbey was the starting point and center of the Cluniac reform at the beginning of the 10th century. Cluny reached its peak membership at the beginning of the 12th century with approximately 400 monks. The last abbey church (Cluniac 3) was the world's largest Romanesque basilica and, until the construction of today's St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the largest church in Christendom. The church had seven towers. Although large parts of the building were destroyed, the remaining relics are absolutely remarkable and make a visit to Cluny an unforgettable experience!

A view that is worth it at the top of the hill!

A feast for the eyes after a good day of cycling

Berzé is a family-owned castle, built by the ancestors of the current owners to protect the Abbey of Cluny. It dominates a magnificent panorama over the vineyards of the Solutré valley. Built between the 11th and 15th centuries around its Carolingian chapel, the castle retains its entire defensive system, thirteen towers including two keep, its impressive entrance castle and its medieval halls. This makes it the largest and best preserved fortress in Burgundy. The castle is made up of three ring walls. Each houses various gardens, orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as a French garden with box trees, statues, hornbeams and large yews cut like chess pieces. From the terraces, there is a magnificent view of the Lamartinien valley with its vineyards in the background.