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Today, the town of Saint Emilion is a "must see" for
travelers to Bordeaux. It is a living history
lesson that retains much of the atmosphere and charm of
past centuries. Saint-Emilion was named for the
Benedictine monk, Emilian, who arrived in the 8th
century to live a reclusive life as a hermit.
After 17 years, he had become the leader of a group of
other Benedictines who had also come to the area. He had
such a strong impact on the town that it eventually took
his name. The town of Saint-Emilion was a center of
religious life in those days. The monks carved an entire
church from a single huge piece of limestone over the
course of 300 years beginning in the 9th century. It
remains today as the greatest monolith church in Europe.
As time passed the town prospered and grew. To protect
the residents and commerce, the town became fortified
and surrounded with strong walls which are still there
today. During the 12th century, the town became even
more fortified with the addition of a moat, gates, the
City Keep, the King's Tower and inner ramparts built to
strengthen the fortifications. |
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From the 13th century to the 16th century, the region
was marked by wars between the French and English. The
region (and the town of Saint Emilion) changed ownership
on several occasions. The town was looted more than once
by each side. By the end of the 16th century, Saint
Emilion was no longer the prosperous center that it had
once been. Many of the buildings and monuments were
damaged and the population was diminished.
Saint Emilion held on until the start of the French
revolution in 1789. During the period of the revolution,
nearly all the residents of the town moved out. That
left the town as an easy target for revolutionaries (and
vandals) who further defaced and damaged the town. Saint
Emilion remained almost completely unoccupied for the
next 100 years. |
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In the mid 1800s, the growth of the wine trade and
commerce related to it brought a new prosperity to the
region. As the reputation for the wines of Saint Emilion
grew, so did travel to the region by traders and
tourists. The residents of the area started restoring
the town to accommodate the wine trade and to take
advantage of the traffic it created.
For more information about St. Emilion please visit the
Saint Emilion Tourism Website. |
