Essoyes

Essoyes is a commune with 728 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in Champagne. The town is located 50 kilometers south of Troyes on the banks of Ource, a tributary of the Seine. Essoyes is the capital of the eponymous canton in the arrondissement of Troyes in the Aube and the Champagne -Ardenne region.

History

The settlement area on the banks of Ource has been inhabited since Celtic times. Traces of the earliest inhabitants Essoye ( so the original spelling ) are documented for the 11th century. Towards the end of the 11th century, donated Count I. Walter of Brienne, the church of the Abbey Essoyes Molesme. In addition to the wine assured long time, several mills, the economic situation of the place. Added to this was from the mid-17th century until the late 18th century, the manufacture of paper. On March 12, 1763 a fire destroyed most of the half-timbered houses of the village. The Romanesque church of Saint - Rémi was canceled in 1855. In their place came to 1865, the present church, which was built mainly by donations from the family of entrepreneurs Heriot. The Auguste Heriot -born Essoyes founded the Paris department store Grands Magasins du Louvre. His son Olympe Heriot acquired and expanded end of the 19th century, the Chateau d' Essoyes. After 1936 the congregation purchased the building are here today, the local school and showrooms housed.

Renoir Essoyes

1885 visited the painter Pierre- Auguste Renoir first Essoyes, the birthplace of his future wife, Aline Charigot. In the following years he visited repeatedly the place and chose motives of the surrounding countryside for his paintings. In December 1895 he bought a house in Essoyes and henceforth spent several months each year in the home of his wife. After 1915 his wife was buried at the local cemetery, his final resting place and Renoir, who died at his home in Cagnes -sur -Mer, in the Cimetière d' Essoyes. Renoir's house in Essoyes is still family owned. The garden and his studio can be visited.

Pierre- Auguste Renoir: Spring in Essoyes

Pierre- Auguste Renoir: Renoir's house in Essoyes

Attractions

In addition to the places where Renoir worked in Essoyes, the Wine Museum Maison de la Vigne belongs in the former palace of the Heriot family to the tourist attractions of Essoyes. In the cemetery are out of Renoir and his wife and the two sons, the actor Pierre Renoir and film director Jean Renoir, buried. In addition, here you can find the tombs of the family of entrepreneurs Heriot.