St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-05-01
A FAMOUS CITY.
Now the Ancient Capital of the Dukes
of Dion Looks i'm Our Day.


of Dion Looks in Our Day.
Dion, the old capital of Burgundy
and the residence of its Dukes, has
descended from its ancient pinnacle of
fame to be simply the seat of the de-
partmental government of the Cote
dor. Its present sovereigns are merely
commercial, and their scepter and SYM
bols of power are the grand crus Of
wine-Clos de Vougeot, Chamberlin.
Volnay, Romance, Richebourg and all
the rest. The populace seems content
with the change of sovereigns. The
city has tifty-tive Thousand inhabitants,
with the monotonouS architecture of all
France for its modern buildings. and
Gothic and other medieval styles for
what remains of its old churches and
chateaux. Someof the old city walls
are still left. and portions of the old
moat forming little hollows beloved of
the cabbage. beet and cauliflower. Into
the rest of il have crowded the rear
walls of modern dwellings, or the ne
cessities of commerce have caused the
construction of streets, and business
houses have tended even more TO oblit-
crate all traces. The churches, OF
which several retain in whole or in
part the peculiarity of the Burgundian
architecture. are numerous, and their
strange old towers and tall, slender
spires. not unlike in form to
the old-fashioned candle extinguisher.
form striking feature of the landscape
when seen at a distance. The church
of Notre Dame is considered one of the
best specimens of Gothic architecture
in France. There is tall, square facade
of peculiar style which masks the main
editice. and which. for want of better
name and the impossibility of more ac-
curate classification. has to be called
Burgundian The remains of centuries
have raised the level of the adjoining
streets. and one has to descend to reach
the nave of the church, which, in spite
of the barenness of ornament. is at once
graceful, delicate, solid and imposing.
The light enters through some beau
tifully tinted stained windows. which
are all that could be called decoration,
though some little illustrations of the
passion of Christ in medallion form,
foot square, are hung about the walls.
There are also vestiges of fresco paint.
ings some four hundred years old done
by unskilled hands here and there, not
observable without effort. The day
was cold when l visited the place,
which had its winter temperature kept
Just above the point where it would con-
geal the breath by scarcely perceptible
currents of warm air coming up
through gratings from suspected fur
naces somewhere in the regions below.
Over them were lowering old women.
who varied this grateful and unusual
occupation by begging at the door rs
often as the thawing of-- their muscles
enabled them to extend their benumbet
hands in supplication.
The church of St. Benigne. which
has an attractive facade, incloses the
remains of its patron saint, with statues
of Philip the Bold, Vladislas King OF
Poland. and some paintings very well
preserved on the walls of the crypt.
The original structure was built in
1866, about the time of the Norman
conquest, but like nearly all other
churches of the same epoch, or few
hundred years later, has been so many
times reconstructed that but little of
the first material remains. Notre
Dame. which was built three hundred
years afterwards. is exceptionally we'll
preserved. st. Michel, which is in the
style of the Renaissance, has an un-
commonly handsome facade which has
the merit and attractiveness of being
like no other in Europe. There are
other churches having special points OF
interest and of great antiquity, but
after the traveller has had his fill of the
church architecture and pictorial and
ecclesiastical splendor of Italy, and has
seen the sunlight drop its ladder of
beams down into the dusky in
teriors of the great cathedral in
Spain. those of France, fine enough
in their way. but seeming cold and
bare after the warmth and richness OF
southern color, are naturally viewed
with less enthusiasm. But though the
churches want warmth and color, there
was no lack of it in the Burgundian
life. Their Dukes had southern heat
of temperament, for was not there
something of the Provencal fire and
poetry in their veins? Charles the
Bold, or the Rash, as the French call
him. was as impetuous as a young
Guelph or Ghibelline and scarcely so
discreet. but he had the qualities that
won affection far more readily than
those of cold, calculating and cruel
monarch like Louis XII, of whom also
Dion has many "reminiscences. So
Dion. lacking splendor, has interest.
not alone for the antiquarian, but for
him to whom the shadowy heroes Of
other ages are creatures Of romance.
the siftings of tradition sands of gold
and the present the rich afterglow of
splendid past. Cor. San Francisco
Chronicle.