Appoigny | Auxerre and Auxerrois Tourist Office

Appoigny

Located at the gateway to Auxerre, Appoigny is a town of character, combining an exceptional religious heritage, Gallo-Roman heritage and Burgundian art de vivre. With the Yonne River running through it and nestled in a verdant setting, Appoigny will appeal to history buffs and those in search of authenticity. Its undisputed jewel? The collegiate church of Saint-Pierre, a Gothic treasure listed as a historic monument.

Ideally situated between the Via Agrippa and the Icauna River (the Yonne today), the Epponiacus territory was a thoroughfare for travellers at the time of the Gallo-Roman Empire. It is also the birthplace of the region’s most renowned Saint, Germain of Auxerre, whose parents Rusticus and Germanilla owned the Villa Ritigana, built in approximately 378 AD.

At the death of his parents, Germain, who had become a bishop, inherited the land from his parents, which he then bequeathed to the Bishopric of Auxerre. The Villa Ritigana henceforth became a regular place of residence for the bishops of Auxerre up until the Revolution. In the 11th century, Robert de Nevers transformed the villa into a fortress, which was destroyed and rebuilt several times thereafter. The current Régennes Château was built in the 20th century and has housed a clinic since 1976.

In the commune stands the Pierre Saint-Martin, a stone that marks the crossroads of four municipalities: Appoigny, Branches, Charbuy and Perrigny.

The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre of Appoigny

The Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre d’Appoigny was built at the beginning of the 13th century at the request of Guillaume de Seignelay, Bishop of Auxerre at the time. Celebrated as being a miniature copy of the majestic Saint-Etienne Cathedral, its architectural design is nevertheless more sober. Its 34-metre-high, square bell tower, is, however, worthy of any cathedral.

remarkable Renaissance-style rood screen stands at the fourth bay of the nave. This rood screen dates from the 17th Century and is composed of three arcades with ornate sculpted piers above which a tribune depicts three scenes from the gospels. This rood screen is the last of its kind in existence in the Yonne.

Did you know?

A collegiate church is a church that is not a parish church but is served by a group of clerics who sing the Office there. These clerics, known as canons, are responsible for regular prayers but are not cloistered like monks.

A rood screen is a monumental enclosure topped by a gallery that separates the choir from the nave in some churches.

Saint-Martin stone

©Charbuy Pierre Saint Martin Man With His Dog

This megalith, or large stone, is located at the exact junction of the communes of Appoigny, Branches, Charbuy and Perrigny. Believed to be quite ancient, its function and origin remain shrouded in mystery.

The Stone is the source of various legends. say it is a place where Saint Martin could have passed, blessed people, or met with the local Christian community.

Whether a boundary marker between municipalities or a place of religious practice, today the Saint-Martin Stone is witness to many a curious passer-by.