Bleigny-le-Carreau | Auxerre and Auxerrois Tourist Office

Bleigny-le-Carreau

Bleigny-le-Carreau, perched between the Chablisien region and the Route de Saint-Jacques (GR654), has a fascinating history and natural environment. An ancient potters’ village, Bleigny-le-Carreau takes its name from the local ochre tile factory. Here you’ll find a listed Neolithic dolmen, the Buisson washhouse (1898) and beautiful trails through vineyards and forests.

Initially called Blaniacus, the name of this village evolved over the centuries to become Bleigny in 1342, then Bleigny-le-Carreau in the 16th century. This was due to the presence of ochre, which led to a pottery and tile (‘carreau’) industry. Bleigny-le-Carreau is located at the top of a hill, on the border of Chablis and north of the GR654 hiking trail, the original pilgrimage route of Saint Jacques de Compostelle or ‘The Way of Saint James’. Its main forest, the Thureau de Saint-Denis, is to the west. There stands an imposing mysterious stone: a dolmen, testifying to the presence of human activity since the Neolithic period. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 1889. Near the Carreau Spring, in the hamlet of Thorigny, is the washhouse of Le Buisson, which was enclosed and roofed in 1898.

©Bleigny Le Carreau. Mairie Et Monument Aux Morts. Debut Xxe Siecle Ad89 2 Fi 1481

Saint-Pierre church

Following a fire in 1836, the Church of Saint-Pierre was rebuilt in 1845-1847 in the shape of a Latin cross, with a ribbed vault nave. The building houses a stone bas-relief sculpture depicting ‘The Resurrection of Lazarus’ and several paintings: the ‘Vision of Saint Hubert’ and ‘The Birth of the Virgin’, both from the 18th century, as well as ‘The Departure of Rebecca’, which dates from the 17th century. The new roof was partly financed by village residents who bought the old tiles and engraved their names on them.

©Leglise Au 19e Siecle Ad89 2 Fi Bleigny Le Carreau 1

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