Welcome to the country of l'arbresle

Visit of the old workings of Arbresle, old fortified town of the medieval abbey of Savigny, and stage city on an antique route connecting Lyon to Paris.

• Contents of the visit

Houses of time Renaissance of the turrets.

The church (15th - 19th centuries) and its stained glasses of the apse classified Historic buildings.

Vestiges of the medieval enclosure and the keep of the 11th century.

The road terminal of “Main road from Lyon to Paris”.

The bridge of the Madeleine and the door of the vault of the Hospital.

• Convent of Tourette

Following the closing of the Arts centre, at the end of May 2009, the visits of the convent of Tourette are suspended, like the lodging.

• Firm Reverdy

This old farm, registered with the inventory of the Historic buildings, joins together all the characteristics of the rural architecture of the 19th century as Lyonese, in an exceptional state of conservation.

• Careers of Glay

These old yellow quarries stone calcareous provided all the area out of construction material, of the 15th century in the middle of the 20th century. In the department of the Rhone, it is today the only career arranged for the visit.

• Lime kiln of the chicotière

Lime kiln restored between 2004 and 2009, built in 1855 in the center of a quarry limestone with gryphées (sinémurien -300/200 million years). It was used to calcine the calcareous stone to transform it into lime. This furnace was probably used for construction of the two close viaducts like the other work in the vicinity (castle, large residences, farms, etc). The furnace is leaned with the hillock which separates it from D 306 (ex RN 6 and before, road Impériale N°6)

• The church Jean-Baptiste Saint

The parish church of Arbresle, built in XV century and increased at the XIX century, is a sober building, with the massive bell-tower, where the yellow stone of Glay dominates. It is famous for the great quality of its stained glasses of the apse (XV century), famous among most beautiful of the Lyonese for their composition and the intensity of their colours.

• The church Saint Pierre

The church of Eveux dates mainly from XV century. The chorus shelters three beautiful blazing windows and a carved keystone.

The Country of Arbresle is rich of more than 200 crosses of ways which are the testimony of a popular art illustrating a deep religious enthusiasm. Anonymous works local craftsmen or sometimes of more experienced artists, they were the object into 1994 of an inventory which revealed diversity:

• Datings: from XIV to the XX centuries
• Materials: mainly of stones (often yellow stone of Glay), but so metal (wrought iron, cast iron) and seldom out of wood.
• Decorations: a score of cross carry characters (Christ in cross, Vierge with the Child, Saints…), others are decorated foliages, escutcheons, monstrances, hearts…
• Inscriptions: Latin formulas, verses, injunctions with the passers by, indulgences…
• Motivations and sites: cross of crossroads, rogations, missions, jubilee, demarcation, votive crosses, crosses placed on the wells, in the cemeteries, close to the churches or the vaults…

Almost the whole of these crosses are visible public highway (by the road or along the footpaths).

 “A significant natural space is a site which presents an financial asset taking into consideration its flora or its fauna, its landscape characteristic. In the Rhone, characterized by a strong urban concentration and preserved rural territories, 87 sites were inventoried, because he are considered to be rare or representative of the Rhone-native mediums, that they are potentially threatened and that they represent an interest for the community on a department scale”

The Country of Arbresle is concerned with five of the Significant Natural spaces indexed in 1994 by the General advice of the Rhone. They will be discovered with the step of the hiker, by borrowing the marked out routes.

Nested in forest in the Lyons west, the Park of Courzieu is the site privileged for those and those which want to benefit from one day truly natural. Space animalist devoted to the raptors and with the wolves, he proposes an approach of the animal by the spectacle and animation.

In full sky, in music, eagles, falcons, milans, vultures play with the airs between planed, lifting flights and striking down piqués. These fantastic air ballets were born from a tradition, the fauconnery: birds and falconers exert their talent in all complicity.

The meeting with the wolves, go daily for the meal of the pack is one moment magic: all starts with the howls of the wolves which resound in forest… Face to face men/wolves, it is the unique opportunity to observe the behaviors. Some privileged are invited on the impressive territory of the wolves…, knowing that it is necessary to remain in position of tender not to frighten the animal.