Free Walking Sightseeing Tour #1 in Melun, France

The Saint-Aspais church is a parish Catholic church located in Melun, in France, on the right bank of the Seine. It is the only church in France dedicated to Saint Aspais, evangelizing the city at the end of Antiquity, whose life is unknown. It is initially located in a suburb, and succeeds a more modest Gothic church, including a marquee and some debris were found in 2011. At the end of the 15th century, Saint-Aspais is the most populous parish in the city, and The inhabitants decide to enlarge the church. First, a new bell tower is built north of the facade, and finished around 1480. From 1506, the facade was redone in the flamboyant Gothic style, as well as the three spans of the nave. The construction of the new choir was launched on March 23, 1517, under the direction of the Parisian master-key Jehan de Félin, who also provides a plan for the total reconstruction of the church, including the built nave barely ten years earlier. De Félin gives more elevation to the choir than the marguilliers had imagined, and heals the sculpted decor, which causes the anger of the factory council concerned with control of the budget, and leads to trials. Thus the site was interrupted in 1519, and the architect died a year later. In 1546, the local master Master Jehan François continued the work by complying with the plan of his predecessor, and the church was completed around 1556. Thanks to many donations, it has a rich furniture. But the economic constraints imposed on architects reveal, and the church is close to ruin in the late 1660s. It experienced a series of bad fortunes, with spurring of vaults aroused by structural disorders, and by damage frames attributable to violent bad weather. The parish resources are not enough to finance reconstruction, but it becomes possible thanks to extraordinary taxation, the generosity of wealthy parishioners, and in the competition of some renowned architects. In the 18th century, the parish covered its prosperity, and the church was redecorated. Under the French Revolution, the transformation of the church into the saltpeter workshop saves it from destruction, but the furniture is largely lost. The classification with historic monuments comes by decree of February 21, 1914. Under the American bombing during the battle for the liberation of Melun, the church was seriously damaged on August 25, 1944. It remains completely closed to worship until 1951, and n 'is entirely reopened that in 1960. Saint-Aspais is today the main parish church of Melun. From an artistic point of view, it is interesting for its stylistic homogeneity, its irregular plan imposed by the lack of space, and its stained glass in the style of the Renaissance.

Wikipedia: Église Saint-Aspais de Melun (FR)

Hôtel de la Vicomté is a private mansion located in Melun, France. It is in this building that the Museum of Art and History of Melun is located. It has been partially listed as a historical monument since 1927.

Wikipedia: Hôtel de la Vicomté (FR), Website

The priory of Saint-Sauveur is a building located on the island of Saint-Étienne, rue Saint-Étienne, in Melun. Its remains have been listed as historical monuments since 1946.

Wikipedia: Prieuré Saint-Sauveur (FR)

The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame was a collegiate church, now a parish church in the French town of Melun, on rue de la Courtille on the île Saint-Etienne.

Wikipedia: Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, Melun (EN)

The Château de Vaux-le-Pénil is a castle located in the commune of Vaux-le-Pénil in the Seine-et-Marne department in France. It was listed in the inventory of historical monuments on 23 November 1946.

Wikipedia: Château de Vaux-le-Pénil (FR)