A time cultivated
by the History
Inhabited since millenia, Berry draws its name from the Celtic
Bituriges, a proud people whose independence ended only with
the hold of Avaricum, the old Bourges, by Jules César
in 52 before our era. From this time dates exceptional archeological
sites, like Argentomagus, the vast amphitheatre of Drevant,
or the Emile Chenon museum in Châteaumeillant.
The
landscape of Berry is sown with white, ochre or pink stones,
put in work in the construction of many Roman buildings. Some
of them impose themselves by the force of their architecture,
like the old abbey of Notre-Dame de Puyferrand in Châtelet,
the single remaining bell-tower of the abbey of Déols,
or the rotunda of the basilica of Neuvy-Saint-Sepulchre. XIIe
century sees also the development of the mural decoration.
Anonymous geniuses bequeathed us the sets of frescos of the
churches however modest of Vic or Brinay. Among the numerous
cistercians abbeys raised in Berry by the disciples of saint
Bernard, the abbey of Noirlac has the appearance of an undeniable
jewel that is miraculously preserved. Its sisters, the abbeys
of Fontmorigny or Prée, accomodates also musical programmings.
In Bourges, the vast Saint-Etienne cathedral, built in the
XIIIth century was classified within the world inheritance
of UNESCO in 1992. On its feet extend the old districts with
the streets and the places that are bordered of houses with
wood side, as well as private mansions. The Jacques Coeur
hotel, built by the banker of the "king ofBourges",
Charles VII, is a unique example in France of the urban palace
in the middle of the XVth century. Beyond the city, the name
of Jacques Coeur was given to the touristic road gathering
several castles of Cher. Those of Net and of the Glassware
illustrate the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
The
monuments of Indre translate the traditional achievement.
The Touraine enclave of Azay-le-Ferron reveals the life of
the castle from the XVth to the XVIIIth century. Valençay,
a superb Renaissance castle, revives the court under the Empire
and Restoration, while the castle of Bulges, true traditional
jewel, evokes the record of the old Regime. With its airs
of PetitTrianon(castle) in its gardens, Bouges it is a little
Versailless in Berry!
Like these furnished castles, several museums collected an
inheritance thus saved from scattering. The works of art are
close to objects of the daily life in the collections of the
museum of Berry in Bourges or the Bertrand museum in Chateauroux,
which preserves the memories of a marshal of Empire. The ecomuseum
of Brenne, located in Blanc, sticks to the life and the history
of the men in their relationship with the natural environment.
Other establishments devote a big part to the modern art,
like the Saint-Roch museum in Issoudun or the Estève
museum in Bourges, which presents a retrospective of the work
of Maurice Estève.
Recherche
The
landscape of Berry is sown with white, ochre or pink stones,
put in work in the construction of many Roman buildings. Some
of them impose themselves by the force of their architecture,
like the old abbey of Notre-Dame de Puyferrand in Châtelet,
the single remaining bell-tower of the abbey of Déols,
or the rotunda of the basilica of Neuvy-Saint-Sepulchre. XIIe
century sees also the development of the mural decoration.
Anonymous geniuses bequeathed us the sets of frescos of the
churches however modest of Vic or Brinay. Among the numerous
cistercians abbeys raised in Berry by the disciples of saint
Bernard, the abbey of Noirlac has the appearance of an undeniable
jewel that is miraculously preserved. Its sisters, the abbeys
of Fontmorigny or Prée, accomodates also musical programmings.
In Bourges, the vast Saint-Etienne cathedral, built in the
XIIIth century was classified within the world inheritance
of UNESCO in 1992. On its feet extend the old districts with
the streets and the places that are bordered of houses with
wood side, as well as private mansions. The Jacques Coeur
hotel, built by the banker of the "king ofBourges",
Charles VII, is a unique example in France of the urban palace
in the middle of the XVth century. Beyond the city, the name
of Jacques Coeur was given to the touristic road gathering
several castles of Cher. Those of Net and of the Glassware
illustrate the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
The
monuments of Indre translate the traditional achievement.
The Touraine enclave of Azay-le-Ferron reveals the life of
the castle from the XVth to the XVIIIth century. Valençay,
a superb Renaissance castle, revives the court under the Empire
and Restoration, while the castle of Bulges, true traditional
jewel, evokes the record of the old Regime. With its airs
of PetitTrianon(castle) in its gardens, Bouges it is a little
Versailless in Berry! 
