Baume-les-Messieurs

Baume- les -Messieurs is a commune of 186 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Jura department in the Franche -Comté. It is classified as one of the plus beaux villages de France ( most beautiful villages in France ).

Geography

Baume- les -Messieurs is surrounded by hundreds of feet high rock walls, in the round Cirque de Baume at an average altitude of 330 m asl It covers an area of 1309 hectares and is inhabited by almost 200 residents. In the valley rises a source stream of seille, a tributary of the Saône.

Attractions

In Baume- les -Messieurs is the Benedictine abbey of Saint- Pierre, which was founded in 909. It replaced the monastery Baume- les- Moines, which had been founded in the 6th century by the Irish monk Columbanus of Luxeuil. After the monastery of the Saracens and the Normans had been devastated, it was rebuilt by Abbot Bernon again. He left Baume- les -Messieurs 910 and founded the Abbey of Cluny.