Southern BurgundyBlanot France

Sitting in a valley in the rolling hills of Southern Burgundy is the village of Blanot, home to a Romanesque church, prehistoric caves and a small mountain. Its Romanesque church Saint-Martin once formed the heart of a priory owned by the monks of Cluny. Also found in Blanot are wine growers, a goat cheese maker, and a communal oven and washhouse.

Blanot came under the influence of Cluny in April 927 when the lord of Brancion and his wife Doda gave their land in Blanot and church to the monks of Cluny. A few hundred years later the present Romanesque church was built and became a priory in 1156. In around 1220 Blanot became a provostship under the protection of the Count of Chalon.

Blanot is home to two rebellions one around the year 1000 and another in 1789 both by peasants. Not much is know about these uprisings but one can only guess it wasn’t good for the local nobility.

Blanot is also home to a reported miracle, on Easter Sunday March 31, 1331 during mass a communion wafer fell out of the mouth of a parishioner on to the floor and reportedly turned to blood. A cloth was used to wipe up the blood. The cloth was washed and turned a dark red, darker than before being washed. This cloth is now considered a relic and is displayed in Saint-Martin each Easter Monday.

Blanot is a few miles from Cluny off the A6 Autoroute exit Mâcon-Sud, direction Cluny from the south or exit Mâcon-Nord, direction Tournus from the north. There is a parking lot with toilets and a regional map across from the WWII monument near L'Etape restaurant and hotel.

Blanot Photo Album

Near by Attractions:
Mont-Saint-Romain

Related Link:
Eucharistic Miracle Blanot, France -- 1331

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