A few days in Saint-Jean-de-Losne.

Having been forced to slow down our pace quite dramatically, and having blogged in the past about the sights and sounds of this town, I thought that I would try and uncover a little of Saint-Jean-de-Losne’s history, some of which is quite interesting.

Apparently, the opposite bank (Left Bank) town of Losne was settled by Celts in the early ages and later by Gallo-Romans where it was an important crossing point for the transportation of salt from Salins-les-Bains to Dijon. The first church was established in 613 on the site where the existing church, The Church of Our Lady of Losne, now stands.

In the 12^th Century, a bridge was built from Losne to the opposite bank (Right Bank) which gave rise to Saint-Jean-de-Losne, originally a suburb of Losne, until granted a charter in 1227 when it became a town in its own right.

The old wooden bridge.

The stone bridge, often damaged by ice and floods.

The 1880's built bridge, partially (at the second span) destroyed by the French/RAF in 1940
and then completely destroyed by the retreating Germans in 1944.
The steeple of Notre-Dame de Losne can be seen in the background.

The current bridge, finished in 1951.

Source: http://saint-jean-de-losnetourisme.blogspot.com/2014/05/la-renovation-du-pont-de-saint-jean-de.html - there are a lot more blogs of regional historic interest to be found at this website, like this one http://saint-jean-de-losnetourisme.blogspot.com/2011/11/le-vitrail-de-galas-dans-leglise-de.html

During the Rennaissance period, it all becomes a bit hectic with the area belonging to the Counts of Burgundy who were, at some time or other, rulers of Spain, the Netherlands and Austria, countries to which Saint-Jean-de-Losne belonged until 1522 when the Sâone River becomes the border between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire. During the Thirty Years War, Catholic France sided with Protestant Sweden against the Holy Roman Empire which was controlled by the Catholic Habsburg dynasty and in 1636 the Austrians laid siege to Saint-Jean-de-Losne whose citizens famously held out until French reinforcements could arrive and rout General Gallas' army.

The 'Deliberation', a meeting where the citizens agreed to continue fighting.
From a painting hanging in the Town Hall.

Monument commemorating the "Belle Défense" of 1636,
erected in 1891 at the place where the meeting took place.

A sabre and an iron basket used to hold
hot coals for throwing at the enemy and
which were recovered from the battlefield.

One of the two battle-standards
captured from the Austrians.

In recognition of this “Beautiful Defence” King Louis XIII granted the inhabitants of the town a large exemption from paying taxes, a privilege only lost after the Revolution some one hundred and fifty years later.

The defeat of the Austrian army is celebrated in Saint-Jean-de-Losne every fifty years, the next one being planned for 2036 - be sure not to miss it.

It is quite amazing that, with the largely settled political issues in Europe today, there were so many ‘nations’ back in the 17^th Century, all having treaties binding one or another to support each other’s political decisions. The table below illustrates the participants in the Thirty Years War.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the citizens of Saint-Jean-de-Losne once again resisted the invading Austrians and drove them off the bridge over the Sâone River, an act of bravery for which the town was awarded the Cross of the Legion of Honour by Napoleon, the first town in France, along with Chalon and Tournus, to be awarded this honour.

The actual medal hanging in the Town Haall.

The Coat-of-Arms of Saint-Jean-de-Losne.

If you look closely at the coat of arms where the Cross of the Legion of Honour is attached to the original Coat-of-Arms, you will notice a small oval with a line through it. This is a 'gule' or coat buckle which keeps a garment closed and represents the closing of Saint-Jean-de-Losne to the invaders. Source: https://www.stjeandelosne.fr/le-blason-de-saint-jean-de-losne

At the crossroads of three waterways and three railway lines, the town enjoyed a great deal of economic activity between 1890 and 1960 but since then has been in gradual decline, although it still hosts a large cruising fraternity.

It’s not all about history however. Apart from the mandatory visits to the shops, we also did some sightseeing,

The Church of St John the Baptist in SJDL.

The votive boat to St Nicholas, patron saint of sailors.

WWII Monument.

some eating,

From the new pizzeria on the quay, 'La Storia' - thumbs up.

The menu from one of the quayside eateries.

were entertained to an evening of ‘groove accoustique’ (a fusion of country rock and jazz),

Duo 'King Marcellus'.

Quite a lot of music happenings in SJDL.

did some varnishing, browsed a brocante which had been set up on the quay,

did a lot of boat watching,

No idea what sport this is but they were giving it the clappers!

The dingy came to help the cruiser which seemed to be having engine problems.

A half a dozen of these came past. Noisy!

Our neighbours astern being given a going over by the Waterways Police;
there were obviously some issues as it looked like they were issued with a 'ticket'.

and generally had a most pleasant time whiling away the hours in quite warm (mid-thirties in the saloon) weather for most of the time.