Noyers (; often referred to as ''Noyers-sur-Serein'') is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Yonne
Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...
in north-central
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
There are half-timbered houses, ashlars, pillars and pinnacles. There are many cobbled lanes and small squares made of chalky and granitic pavements. There are towers surrounded by the river
Serein
The Serein () is a river of eastern France. It is the main waterway of the Chablis wine district in Burgundy. It is long. The Serein is not navigable.
Origin of the name
''Serein'' is the French word for "serene". This may reflect the placid n ...
loops. It has retained much of its medieval appearance with many buildings dating from the 16th century, and is a tourist destination with several restaurants, art galleries, a pottery and a museum. The centre is pedestrianised on Saturdays and Sundays in summer. The village also holds two large truffle fairs in November where locally picked fresh truffles are sold to buyers from throughout France and beyond.
History
The origins of Noyers are unclear. It was founded by the king of
Sequani
The Sequani were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the upper river basin of the Arar river (Saône), the valley of the Doubs and the Jura Mountains during the Iron Age and the Roman period.
Name
They are mentioned as ''Sequanos'' by Caesar (mi ...
Gaul tribe, just before the Roman conquest, or by a contemporary of Julius Caesar called Lucidorius. He would have given the city its first name, Lucida.
Around and after the 12th century the city became the seat of the Miles family. At the end of the twelfth century, Hugues de Noyers, bishop of
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , ) is the capital of the Yonne department and the fourth-largest city in Burgundy. Auxerre's population today is about 35,000; the urban area (''aire d'attraction'') comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are r ...
, built "one of the most famous castles of France". It was beleaguered by Blanche of Navarre's troops in 1217, but it did resist.
In 1419, at the end of the Miles dynasty, Noyers became the property of the dukes of Burgundy. The
prince of Condé
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
became count of Noyers. He made a Huguenot place of the city and took refuge in it after the defeat of the Amboise conspiracy in 1568. But
Catherine de Médicis
Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King H ...
dislodged him and the garrison surrendered.
Later the castle was dismantled by King Henry IV in 1599. After a long time of lethargy the city revived in 1710 when the
duke of Luynes The Duke of Luynes (french: duc de Luynes ) is a territorial name belonging to the noble French house d'Albert. Luynes is, today, a commune of the Indre-et-Loire ''département'' in France. The family of Albert, which sprang from Thomas Alberti ( ...
married the last descendant of the Condé family.
Wine and grain trade were prosperous at Noyers. Many documents attest there were plenty of vines, walnut-trees and cherry-trees over the hills all around Noyers. Till the beginning of the twentieth century a great part of local craftsmen was represented by cartwrights, harness-makers, coopers, farriers and shoe makers. In 1861 there were 128 vine-growers and 25 tillage-farmers. As of the 21st century, they are not as many farmers.
On December 7, 1983, Duran Duran filmed the music video for their single New Moon On Monday within the city walls after dark. The town's historic streets have also been featured in several other films and TV series.