If you are in Bordeaux region, it is worth to stretch about 40 km east and get to know the village of Saint-Emilion. And, once there, unravel the story of this character who gives the city its name. Only this way you will discover all that is incredible, under
your feet … Literally!
And what is the best way to do that? Taking a tour that is practically mandatory,
because it takes you to a trip through the XVI XVII and XVIII centuries… And also let you know the accomplishments of this great character who built the city that, today, is Unesco’s Patrimony of the Humanity.
Monduvin experienced this and will tell us a little bit in here. But we warn you: there is nothing like seeing and feeling this whole story on-site!
Well … We were in a group, gathered in front of the Monolithic Church Square. We had some explanations about the city and its importance mainly during French Revolution and, then, we left to know the hermit town of Saint-Emilion. The place was excavated by hand by Emilion himself in the 17th century!
The tour guide tells us the story of Emillion, the miracles he performed and the details of the cave. We went down a narrow ladder and came to a kind of grotto. On the left, a fountain of water, which was used as a baptismal font to bless his followers; on the other side, a stone that served as a bed.
On the pillar that holds up the stairs, there is an inscription engraved on the stone: “Here lies Emilion.”
From the place of prayer and recollection, we pass to the most imposing monument of the visit: the Monolithic Church.
It’s amazing to see such a high ceiling! And not only by height, but also by all its dimensions: 38m long, 20m wide and 11m high. It is Europe’s largest underground medieval church.
Some paintings and low reliefs remain and make us think how impressive they are, as well as the wooden sculptures at that time. Today, some altars dating from the 15th and 18th century “decorate” the place.
The tour ends after 45 minutes and leaves us with the sensation of having lived something that we had never imagined. On the way back, we thought how far we were from suspecting what was under our feet!
Saint-Emilion, besides being surrounded by wineries, is also enchanting for its history! It is very worth living this experience.
