The South of France-East Half Part 13

Formerly Lyons manufactured only high-cla.s.s silks, but the demand for these having been for some years on the decrease, the manufacturers, to hold their place in the market against especially their Crefeld rivals, have had to turn their attention to cheaper stuffs. This in some measure is owing to the rapid and violent changes of fas.h.i.+on, which makes a silk dress good only for a few months, whereas formerly, with an occasional alteration, it was worn for years.

In the street behind the east side of the Bourse are the large covered markets; where many of the fishes of the Rhone may be seen alive in tanks, and good Mont d'Or cheese be bought. It makes capital railway travelling provision. (See page 42.)

[Headnote: CITY HOSPITAL AND WORKHOUSE.]

Farther down the street, with the princ.i.p.al facade to the Rhone, and the other, containing the entrance, to the Rue de l'Hopital, is the +Hotel Dieu+, or general hospital, with 1500 beds, founded in the 6th cent. by Childebert and Ultrogotha his queen. The present building is princ.i.p.ally the work of Soufflet, the architect of the Pantheon in Paris. Of the beds, about 1300 are free, the remainder pay from 1 fr. to 12 frs. per day. The rooms are lofty and well ventilated. The princ.i.p.al female wards are arranged in the form of a cross, with an altar in the centre under the small dome, in such a position that all the patients can see it from their beds. From the large dome extends the princ.i.p.al ward of the men, containing 100 beds, and a smaller one on the other side. The sick are tended by nuns. The hospital has a house on the heights of the Croix-Rousse, near the terminus of the rope railway, and another at Oullins for incurables.

In the first court left of the large court, Dr. Young buried Mrs.

Temple, the Narcissa of his _Night Thoughts_, who died in 1730 at Montpellier, but was there refused burial. At that time what is now a built-up court was a cemetery. Fifty years ago it was a garden, now it is covered with buildings. All trace of the grave has disappeared.

Near the entrance to the hospital is the church, 18th cent., richly decorated. In a chapel, left, is the enormous gilt shrine, in 5 stages, of Sainte Valentine.

Farther down the Rhone is the Hospice de la Charite, founded in 1531, on the occasion of a great famine. It receives the poor of both s.e.xes who have reached 70; sick children under 15, and young women about to be mothers. The church was built in 1617.

[Headnote: ST. MARTIN D'AINAY.]

North from the hospice or workhouse, near the bridge of Ainay across the Saone, is the church of +St. Martin d'Ainay+, which, with the monastery, was founded by St. Badulph during the reign of Constantine, on the site of a temple erected by the sixty nations of Gaul in honour of Caesar Augustus. The first church having been destroyed by the Saracens, in the 8th cent., it was rebuilt in 1070, and consecrated in 1106 by Pope Pascal II. Since then it has been frequently repaired and altered. The style belongs to what is called modern Greek, introduced into France under Charlemagne. The cupola of the chancel rests on circular pendentive arches springing from four granite columns which stood formerly in the temple of Augustus. They were originally 2, but were cut into 4. The fresco paintings in the apsidal chapels are by H. Flandrin, a native of +Lyons+. To the right is the sacristy or chapel of Saint Blandina, in which a short stair leads down to the crypt and the dungeons, one on each side, where Pothinus, first bishop of Lyons, and Blandina, a converted slave, were kept before being tortured and put to death in A.D. 177, during the persecution under Marcus Antoninus, the implacable enemy of Christianity. The crypt, about 12 ft. square, was, as well as the dungeons, about 10 feet deeper, but on account of the overflowing of the river the floors were filled up to their present level.

[Headnote: PARC DE LA TeTE-D'OR.]

The Parc de la Tete-d'Or, or park of Lyons, is situated at the N.E.

extremity of the city, between the Brotteaux railway station and the left bank of the Rhone. It measures 282 acres, and contains, besides an abundant supply of varied walks, a large and excellent botanic garden with hothouses, a lake with islands inhabited by aquatic birds, and a dairy farm, whose produce is sent every morning into town for sale.

Adjoining the park are the rifle-b.u.t.ts and the racecourse. In the Boulevard du Nord is the Guimet Museum, containing a collection of objects from the extreme east, to facilitate the study of the history, religions, and customs of the inhabitants of that part of the world. The inst.i.tution publishes essays and translations.

By the western side of the Brotteaux railway station are the large barracks of the Part-Dieu and the Fort des Brotteaux.

Lyons employs 70,000 looms and 140,000 weavers in the manufacture of silk; and here, as at St. Etienne, the work is princ.i.p.ally performed on the domestic system in the dwellings of the master weavers, each of whom has usually from two to six or eight looms, which, with their fittings, are generally his own property. Himself and as many of his family as can work are employed on these looms, aided frequently by one or more _compagnons_, or journeymen, who inhabit chiefly the suburb of La Croix Rousse, to the north of the town, and that of Fourvieres, on the Saone.

The silk merchants supply the silk and patterns to the owners of looms, who are entrusted with the task of producing the web in a finished state. The mean annual value of the silk goods manufactured is estimated at 15,000,000.

[Headnote: THE DYEING OF SILK--ORIGIN OF LYONS.]

The dyeing of the silk is also an important branch of manufacture. Many experiments had been made to bring this art to perfection, and in particular to discover a dye of perfect black that would retain its colour. This a common dyer of Lyons at last invented, for which he received a pension, besides being made a member of the Legion of Honour.

Prior to this the black dye which was used changed in a few days to a brown, and came off the stuff when it was hard pressed by the hand.

Another improvement which was made consisted in procuring a silk of a permanent white colour. The eggs of the worm which produced this silk were brought from China, not, however, with the desired success. The worm was afterwards purchased from a merchant of Alais, and distributed in the southern departments of the country, where now a large number of persons are engaged in silkworm hatcheries. The produce of white silk is now very considerable and of great importance in the manufacture of gauzes, c.r.a.pes, and tulles. Extensive chemical works, breweries, foundries, potteries, engineering works, printing establishments, and hat factories represent the secondary industries of Lyons. A large trade is carried on in chestnuts brought from the neighbouring departments, and known as _marrons de Lyon_.

The earliest Gallic occupants of the territory at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone were the Segusians. In 590 B.C. some Greek refugees from the banks of the Herault, having obtained permission of the natives to establish themselves on the Croix Rousse, called their new town by the Gallic name Lugdunum; and in 43 B.C. Munatius Plancus brought a Roman colony to Fourvieres from Vienne. This settlement soon acquired importance, and was made by Agrippa the starting-point of four great roads. Augustus, besides building aqueducts, temples, and a theatre, gave it a senate and made it the seat of an annual a.s.sembly of deputies from the sixty cities of Gallia Comata. Under the emperors the colony of Forum Vetus and the municipium of Lugdunum were united, receiving the _jus senatus_. The town, burnt by Nero in 59 A.D., was rebuilt by him in a much finer style, and adorned by Trajan, Adrian, and Antoninus.

[Headnote: MONT-D'OR. CHEESE.]

Among the most interesting, and at the same time easiest excursions from Lyons is to Mont Ceindre, 4 m. from Lyons. Take the omnibus starting from the Rue de la Platiere to the village of St. Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or, 3 m., time 1 hr., by a road always ascending. Fare, fr. The omnibus office at St. Cyr, the inn, and the cafe, are on a wide terrace commanding an extensive view. The village, pop. 2000, is poor and dirty, and built on the side of the hill. To ascend Mont Ceindre walk from the omnibus office up to the new church, whence ascend by the telegraph posts, and then turn to the right. The ascent and descent can be done easily in 80 minutes, in time to go back to Lyons by the returning coach. On the top of Mont Ceindre are some houses, an old hermitage, and a chapel surmounted with a statue of Mary. The view is grand, embracing the valleys of the Rhone and the Saone, the towns of Bugey and Beaujolais, the mountains of the Forez, the Dauphine, and the Alps. Mont Ceindre, 1532 ft. above the sea; Mont Verdun, 2020 ft.; and Mont Houx, 2008 ft., form together +Mont-d'Or+, a group of mountains covered with vineyards and meadows. The wine is thin, but the cheese is one of the best and most celebrated in France. They are soft, round, and flat, about 5 inches in diameter and half an inch thick, like round pancakes.

They are made from a mixture of cow and goat's milk, and are said to derive their peculiar flavour from the vine leaves on which the goats feed during a considerable portion of the year. The cheeses of Mont Dore (likewise famous) are thicker and smaller in diameter, and sold in small boxes. The coach, on its way from Lyons to St. Cyr, pa.s.ses by Roche-Cardon, a favourite retreat of J. J. Rousseau. Another easy excursion is to the Ile Barbe. Take any of the mouches (penny boats) going up the Saone to Vaise station. Here change into the penny boat going to St. Rambert, a rather dirty little town on the right bank, 1 m. above Vaise. Opposite, and connected by a bridge, is the town of Cuire. In the centre of the river is the Ile Barbe, across which the bridge pa.s.ses. On the island there are a few uninviting country-houses, and the tower of a chapel (private property) of the 12th cent. The sail is the best part of the excursion, not the island.

For Lyons to Nimes, by rail 172 m. south by the west bank of the Rhone, see p. 81; Paris to Lyons by Roanne and St. Etienne, p. 346; Paris to Lyons by Tarare, p. 348; Lyons to Clermont-Ferrand by St. Etienne, Montbrison, and Thiers, see p. 349, and map p. 27.

[Headnote: VIENNE.]

{338}{199} +VIENNE+, pop. 27,000. _Hotels:_ Nord; Poste; Jacquet. In this, the capital of the first kingdom of Burgundy, there exist remains of important edifices, which indicate that the citizens inhabiting it in the days of Cicero were no strangers to the luxury and wealth preceding the Augustan age. The most interesting of these is the +Maison Carree+, an oblong temple of the Corinthian order, dedicated to Augustus and his wife Livia, 55 ft. high, 88 long, and 80 broad, situated a little way north from the cathedral by the Rue St. Clementine. On a terrace fronting the chain bridge is +St. Maurice+, a beautiful Gothic cathedral commenced in the 12th cent., 315 ft. long, and the roof of the nave 88 ft. high. It contains some fine gla.s.s, and near the altar the skilfully-sculptured mausoleum of Cardinal Montmorin, who died in 1723.

At the main entrance are two ancient sarcophagi. At the other end of the chain bridge is the Tour St. Colombe, built by Philippe Valois. Up the Rhone, on the east side, at the top of the Quai Pajot, near a stair leading down to the river, stood the Tour de Mauconseil, where Pontius Pilate, who had been banished to Vienne by Tiberius, ended his life (it is said) by throwing himself into the Rhone. About m. down the Rhone from the railway station, by the Ma.r.s.eilles road, is the Pyramide de l'Aiguille, called also the tomb of Pilate. It is 52 feet high, and rises from four arches resting on a square bas.e.m.e.nt. Columns with cus.h.i.+oned capitals ornament the four corners, which cannot date earlier than the 4th cent. Vienne is a busy commercial town, with important woollen manufactories. 3 m. S. by rail is Vaugris, pop. 250. On the other side of the Rhone is Ampuis (p. 81). 6 m. farther S. by rail is Le Peage-de-Roussillon. Roussillon, pop. 1500, is a straggling village among vineyards, less than a mile E. from the station. From the Chateau de Roussillon Charles IX. issued, in 1564, the decree that in future the year was to commence with the first of January.

[Headnote: ST. RAMBERT-D'ALBON.]

{356}{180} +ST. RAMBERT-D'ALBON+, junction with line to Gren.o.ble 57 m. E., by Rives 35 m., and Voiron 42 m. E. Junction by bridge with Peyraud, 3 m.

W., on the opposite side of the Rhone, whence rail to Annonay (see page 81, and map pages 26 and 46).

5 m. S. by rail from St. Rambert is St. Vallier, pop. 4000. _Inn:_ Merle. On the junction of the Galaure with the Rhone. In the town is the restored castle of Anne de Poitiers, and up the valley of the Galaure are the pa.s.s of the Roche Taillee, the ruins of a chateau of the Dauphins, and the chapel of N. D. de Vals (see map, page 46).

[Headnote: TAIN.]

{368}{169} +TAIN+, pop. 3000. _Inns:_ H. Europe; Midi. A pleasant town on the Rhone, immediately opposite Tournon (page 82), and at the foot of the hill, whose vineyards produce the Hermitage wines. The red variety has a fine perfume, and is gratefully stomachic. The white is a luxurious wine, and will keep for a century, but the produce is small.

Omnibus at station for Romans, 13 m. on the rail between Valence and Voiron (see map page 46), pop. 13,000. _Inns:_ Europe; Midi.

Situated at the confluence of the Isere with the Sava.s.se, crossed by a bridge of 4 arches which unites it with Bourg-du-Peage, pop. 5000.

[Headnote: VALENCE.]

{384}{153} +VALENCE+, pop. 24,000. _Hotels:_ Louvre; Croix d'Or; France. The first the most expensive. Commodious Temple Protestant. Good Protestant schools. Suspension bridge across the Rhone. Omnibus to St. Peray, 2 m.

west. Coaches daily to Ardeche. Valence is a pleasant town on an eminence rising from the Rhone, surrounded by broad boulevards on the site of the old fortifications. The most handsome is the Place Championnet, on the site of the citadel, commenced by Francois. It commands an excellent view of the river and of the hills beyond. In the distance, to the right, on an arid rock, is the castle of Crussol. In this Place is the statue "au General Championnet, sorti des rangs du peuple. Hommage public de sa ville natale." Died at Antibes 1800.

To the left of the statue is the cathedral +St. Apollinaire+, built in 1095, and restored in 1604 and 1730. The west portal and tower were rebuilt in 1880. The other parts of the exterior have a venerable appearance. The b.u.t.tresses are shallow, and do not reach the eaves.

A delicate dentil cornice runs round the building, bending over the round-headed windows and across the b.u.t.tresses. Within, the church by restoration looks as if it were modern. Tall piers, with attached Corinthian columns and vaulting shafts, run up to the commencement of the arches of the aisles and of the vault of the roof, all of stone.

From the semicircular chancel radiate 4 semicircular chapels, one being occupied by the organ. At the right or S. side of the altar is the bust by Canova of Pope Pius VI., who died at Valence in 1799. His remains were removed to Rome.

Outside, opposite the N. transept, is Le Pendentif, a sepulchral chapel (22 ft. square and 25 ft. high) of the Mistral family, built in 1548. On each side is a large round arch, over which rises a remarkably flat dome. Close to the "Place des Clercs" is the Maison des Tetes, built in 1531, covered with mutilated statues and medallions under canopy work.

The medallions, bosses, and groining in the pa.s.sage leading into the court are in a much better state of preservation.

The windows in the court are square-headed, but most have lost their transoms. Among the other buildings are a Temple Protestant, 18th cent., and a picture gallery.

[Headnote: VERNOUX.]

Rail to Gren.o.ble, 62 m. N.E., and to Chambery, 40 m. farther. Omnibus daily to St. Peray (p. 82). Coach by St. Peray to Vernoux, 18 m. W.

Vernoux, 1920 ft. above the sea, pop. 3100. _Inns:_ Nord; Verd. Temple Protestant. One of the nicest towns in Ardeche, situated in the midst of carefully-cultivated mountains and valleys. A large proportion of the inhabitants are Protestants.

[Headnote: COACHES FROM VALENCE.]

Valence is one of the most convenient places for entering the Ardeche.

Diligences from Valence to St. Laurent-du-Pape, St. Fortunat, Les Ollieres, St. Sauveur, St. Pierreville, and Le Cheilard (see page 83).

The diligences from Valence, Soyons, Charmes, Beauchastel, and La Voulte to St. Pierreville and Le Cheilard meet at St. Laurent-du-Pape; whence the pa.s.sengers are conveyed in two diligences the length of St.

Sauveur, by St. Fortunat and Ollieres. At Ollieres, H. du Pont, they meet and correspond with the diligence from Privas. From St. Sauveur one diligence runs westward by the Glaire to St. Pierreville and Marcols, the other northwards to Le Cheilard. Valence is 5 hrs. from St. Sauveur. Beauchastel and La Voulte, 4 hrs. St. Sauveur to Pierreville, 2 hrs.; and to Le Cheilard, 3 hrs. (see also pages 93 and 94). Coach from Valence to La Mastre, 21 m. W., pa.s.sing by Champis, pop. 3380, at the foot of a mountain, which during a part of the day intercepts the rays of the sun.

ARDeCHE.

(See Map, page 46).

Ardeche should not be visited till June, and not later than September.

In the villages and hamlets in the pastoral districts most of the best houses are inns or auberges, where a bed can be had, and abundance of fare, in the shape of fried potatoes, b.u.t.ter, milk, eggs, coffee, bread often of rye, and hard salt pork sausages. The national dish is potatoes sliced very thin and fried with b.u.t.ter. They make also a pleasant soup of herbs mixed with potatoes. The numerous inns are required for the accommodation of guests during the fairs, of which each hamlet has at least 2, while the larger villages and towns have from 4 to 8, besides market-days. One of the prettiest sights in Ardeche is to see the people flocking from every direction along the winding mountain roads to the village where the fair is being held--many on foot driving small parcels of pigs, sheep, goats, or cattle, or carrying baskets full of eggs, cheese, and b.u.t.ter, and often an old hen; others with carts loaded with potatoes; others travelling comfortably in their char-a-bancs; and others on horseback, the women as well as the men being astride.