Saulieu () is a rural commune in the

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

department in the

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 ...

region in eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Its 2,413 inhabitants (in 2017) call themselves Sédélociens. Capital of the

Morvan The Morvan (; historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or esc ...

, situated within the

Morvan Regional Natural Park Morvan Regional Natural Park (, ) is a protected area of woodlands, lakes and traditional farmland in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central France. It covers a total area of and extends through four different departments with the majorit ...

, Saulieu lies 250 km southeast of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on the RN6 road.

History

This walled town has existed since Roman times when it was known as ''Sidolocus'' (or ''Sedelocus''), as seen on the tombs and engravings that can be found in the hills overlooking the modern town. Every Saturday morning a unique market is held in the square selling goods of many kinds.

Church

The Basilica of Saint Andoche, noted for its west portal and carved

capitals Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

depicting biblical stories and religious teachings, was founded as an abbey church in the 6th century. Rebuilt as a

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

in the 12th century, it became a Minor

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

in 1919. There are over 60 carved capitals in the basilica, several of which have narrative figures. Some of the capitals are the

Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:13–Matthew 2:23, 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the Biblical Magi, visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Saint Joseph, Joseph in a dream telling ...

(Matthew 2:13-15),

Balaam Balaam (;; ; ), son of Beor, was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a non-Israelite prophet and diviner who lived in Pethor, a place identified with the ancient city of Pitru, thought to have been located between the region of Iraq and norther ...

(Numbers 23-24), The Risen Christ (John 20:11-18; Matthew 28:1-10),

Temptation of Christ The temptation of Christ is a biblical narrative detailed in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. After being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus was tempted by the devil after 40 days and nights of fasting in the Judaean Desert. At the ...

(Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 4:1-13) and the capital of the "

Cockfight Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term ...

in the south arcade, fourth pier (facing the aisle)".

Population

Sights

* Saint Andoche Basilica, a Romanesque church built around 1130–1140. * Tomb of Saint Andoche, reputed to be writer of the evangelistary of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. * Cemetery of the church of Saint Saturnin with Gallo-Roman graves. * François Pompon regional museum.

International relations

* Caprino Veronese,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Gau-Algesheim Gau-Algesheim is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the Gau-Algesheim (Verbandsgemeinde), ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Gau-Algesheim, a kind of collective municipality. Geography Location Gau-A ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, since 1964.

Personalities

Yves Afonso Yves Afonso (13 February 1944 – 21 January 2018) was a French actor of Portuguese descent. He was born in Saulieu in the Côte-d'Or ''département''. Since his uncredited debut in the movie '' Masculin, féminin'' in 1966, he had many roles, ...

, actor * Bernard Loiseau, chef * François Pompon, sculptor * Claude Sallier, philologist and churchman

References

External links

*
Adrian Fletcher's Paradoxplace – Basilica of St-Andoche, Saulieu - PhotosSacred Destinations an educational and travel resource – Basilica of St. Andoche in Saulieu, Burgundy - Photos
*L'abbatiale Saint-Andoche Saulieu – Basilica of St. Andoche in Saulieu, Burgund

Communes of Côte-d'Or Burgundy Côte-d'Or communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{Montbard-geo-stub