Époisses is a French commune located in the Côte-d'Or department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. She gave her name to a cheese. On the territory of the municipality is also the castle of Époisses, historical monument.
Époisses is located in the Auxois region on the border with the
Yonne department, about 23 kilometers south-west of Montbard -
roughly halfway between the cities of Dijon and Auxerre. The streams
flowing west and south in the municipal area belong to the catchment
area of the Serein. The approximately 0.5 km² Étang d'Époisses
reservoir to the west of the main town is used for flood protection.
The landscape, which is sparsely forested except for the north-west
(Bois de la Chapelle), gradually slopes down to the west and reaches
its highest point in the south-east at 320 m above sea level.
Époisses is surrounded by the neighboring communities of Corsaint to
the north, Corrombles to the north-east, Torcy-et-Pouligny to the
east, Torcy-et-Pouligny to the south, Forléans to the south-east,
Montberthault to the south, Vieux-Château to the south-west, Toutry
to the west and Guillon- Terre Plaine to the west.
The
districts of Changy belong to Époisses. Epoisotte, La Rue aux
Bourgeois, Plumeron and Foux.
Époisses is the terminus of a
railway line from Venarey-les-Laumes via Semur-en-Auxois (Chemin de
fer Touristique de l'Auxois), which was opened in 1876 and is now
reserved for tourism. The acta association operates the diesel
railcar from the 1970s, which runs on this route on weekends from
June to September.
Typology
According to the
terminology defined by INSEE and the zoning published in 2020,
Époisses is a rural municipality, because it does not belong to any
urban unit.
In addition, the town is part of the area of
attraction of Semur-en-Auxois, of which it is a municipality in the
crown. This area, which includes 54 municipalities, is categorized
into areas of less than 50,000 inhabitants.
The
seigneury of Espoisse had vast ponds at the finage of Bussières, at
the bottom of the hamlet of the locality of Faubourg.
In the
12th century, the village saw the construction of an abbey church
and a dovecote in the 16th century.
Places and monuments
The castle of Époisses was originally
made up of two enclosures. Four towers, including the keep, were
built in the 13th century in order to protect it. During the
following centuries, the castle was redeveloped between the
fourteenth century and the eighteenth century, in particular by
Imbert de La Platière, Lord of Bourdillon, Marshal of France,
originally from Nivernais. This profoundly transforms Epoisses. For
example, he built the porch of the tower that bears his name today.
The French revolution and negotiations with the Committee of Public
Safety will lead to the destruction of the fortified parts and the
reduction in the height of the towers. In the twentieth century,
various buildings of the castle and the garden are classified as
historical monuments.
The village also includes other places
and monuments:
Way cross, rue de Semur, rue des Forges, rue des
Éperons and rue d'Avallon.
Saint-Symphorien Church, in the
courtyard of the castle, rue de Semur.
Fromagerie Berthaut,
manufacturer of Époisses (cheese), Place du Champ de Foire.
Town
hall, rue des Forges.
Birthplace of General Jacques Lazare
Savettier de Candras, Place Candras (rue des Forges).
Remains of
the priory of Époisses (of the order of Grandmont), founded in 1189
by Hugues III of Burgundy.