EXPLORING TONNERRE

Our first goal for today was to finish our 'lavoir' tour from yesterday.  The most impressive one being the Fosse Dionne of Tonnerre.  This lavoir is sourced from a spring that has been on this site since celtic times.  It is unknown how  deep it is, but several people have tried to find the depth...& lost their lives in the process!
There is a myth, that lurking in it's depths lives a basilisk that kills with a single glance! No sign of it today though!

The water pressure is incredible.

The water for the lavoir is diverted from the spring & fills a shallow moat around the 'bowl'.  The women who came to wash here would have had to have been so careful of the water force & the slippery surfaces around it.  The sun came out while we were here, & so we were able to see a variety of colours in the water.

The next most important thing to see in Tonnerre was the Hotel Dieu.  Like the one we visited in Beaune, this was a former hospital.  Built in just 2 years from 1293 it was the brain child of a most incredible woman, Maguerite of Burgundy. Aside from raising 5 children & ruling Naples in her husband's absence, she was incredibly involved in the work of the hospital, actually tending to the sick herself.

The building is not as pretty as the one in Beaune, but as it was severely damaged during the French Revolution, that's understandable!
One of it's special features is a meridian line, right across the floor!

Another impressive feature is the 'tomb of Christ' which is downstairs in it's very own chapel. The sculpting was so impressive.

Here's a closeup on one of the characters.  He looks like a real person who has been turned to ice by the White Witch!!
We really enjoyed our day exploring Tonnerre & as we were going back to the car we saw a huge number of people all participating in a petanque competition.