Mont Brouilly et la chapelle Notre-Dame-aux-Raisins

Saint-Lager

Mont Brouilly is only a 484-metre hump, but it is the most looked-at one in Beaujolais: its very hard "blue stone", rich in iron and magnesium silicates, gives the vines on its slopes the Brouilly and Côte-de-Brouilly appellations. One tradition has it that the name comes from a Roman officer, Brulius, to whom the hill was supposedly given as a reward around the year 100 and who planted the first vines there; the etymology is not certain, but the story still goes round the vineyards. Between 1850 and 1852, hail, frost and above all powdery mildew ravaged Beaujolais; the winegrowers then decided to place the region "under the special protection of the Mother of God". A committee was formed in late 1853, the first stone was laid on 16 October 1854, and more than 21,000 francs were raised in the neighbouring communes towards a final outlay of about 30,000 francs. Built to the designs of the Lyon architect Desjardins, the chapel of Notre-Dame-aux-Raisins measures 17 metres long by 7 wide and 12 high, with neo-Gothic arches and thick buttresses to withstand the wind on the summit. It was inaugurated on 8 September 1857, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, and the winegrowers' pilgrimage has been held there every 8 September since then, on the eve of the grape harvest. It is one of the few sanctuaries in France whose devotion is explicitly directed towards the vine.

Wikipédia - Mont Brouilly ↗

Getting there : Summit shared between Odenas and Saint-Lager, in Beaujolais, 10 km west of Belleville-en-Beaujolais. Small tarmac road climbing through the vines from Saint-Lager or Odenas, car park at the top; the climb is also very popular on foot and by bicycle. Coordinates of the summit. Chapel generally closed outside services and the pilgrimage; the esplanade and the panorama over Beaujolais, the Saône and the Alps are freely accessible at all times.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound