Bourg-en-Bresse (pronounced “Bourk-en-Bresse)
I had not originally intended on visiting this city because my family told me that it is an ugly city and not worth the visit. Well, after buying the Guide Vert and seeing that Bourg-en-Bresse contained a site worth a visit, I decided to reconsider. Outside of the city center, there is located an amazing monastery called the Brou. It has an incredible story surrounding it, and it is very intriguing to say the least. Although very much worth the visit, they were unfortunately redoing the exterior, which means that scaffolding was covering half of the grand basilica. What a shame!
After so many adventures on the bike, I must say that it was a little refreshing to be in a city again, where I did not need a bike to see many wonderful things. I took the easy path, simply hopping on a train and walking around the city. So, with my lentils and zucchini that I brought from home and 2 euros for a delicious snack later in the day, I struck out to discover this “ugly” city. Now that I have visited so many towns in this area, I am very critical of the way cities are arranged and the way they welcome tourists; I have discovered that I have even become a little jaded about my impression of the beauty of things. For instance, it takes a little more now to impress me than when I first arrived. This I do not think it a good thing, so I am trying very diligently to ensure that I do not lose the excitement of seeing new things.
Anyway, Bourg is a very well-marked city, with signs directing tourists to the Office of Tourism at every stop, which is great for someone like me who will strike out on the right path towards something and end up missing it because the road curved or the name of the str
eet changed. Who knows what impedes me sometimes from finding my way! They were very helpful at the office and provided me with a great map of the historical part of Bourg that contained a recommended path and corresponding information about those sites. What a time I had with that map. I was determined to find every single site it mentioned and follow the path exactly (something I am not very accustomed to doing considering my idea of a tour of the city is to wander until I see a building or a place that interests me). It was refreshing to have such a structured way of seeing the city, but what a sight I must have made…every five seconds looking at my map, wandering around the city. I did not see anyone else taking the path I was taking, but in general the city was not incredibly populated.
The main attraction in the town, and of course the reason I ventured to the city, is the Brou. It was a monastery during the 16th and 17th centuries, but now it is solely a tourist attraction and museum. The church and it history is what lures people to the site. Inscribed within one of the small chapels inside the basilica is an ominous and depressing phrase, “Fortune importune fort une.” In English, this could mean one of two things, “Fortune but also misfortune reinforce a woman;” or “Persistent fortune demands much from a woman.” Addressing the commissioner’s fate, a woman named Margaret of Austria who married three times and out-lived two of her husbands
, the latter for whom she built the Brou, which she never saw because she died two years before it was completed, the inscription immortalizes her life and her tragedies. The Brou is a symbol of love and devotion because Margaret built it with her own resources---which were plentiful as she was a duchess of Burgundy---for her husband whom she loved dearly but who died only three years after their marriage. She never remarried after his death, but the couple remains buried in close proximity to one another in the church.
It really was incredible to simply stand inside and see its grandeur and the sheer expanse of the building because it was enormous and very empty. It is no longer used for worship, so the main part of the basilica, which in those days (16th century) was normally a minimally decorated space, is quite bare. However, the remainder of the basilica is quite grandiose. The tombs are especially extraordinary and I think worth the visit. Yes, it is a little strange to be so amazed by the tombs of dead people, but I think it is less about what they contain and more about the beauty of how they were made. The detail and the symbolism are quite unbelievable. For the women (Margaret and the mother of her husband and othe
rs in general), a dog reposes at the foot of the dead person as a symbol of guardianship and protection. For the men (Margaret’s husband and those in general), a lion sleeps at the feet of the dead, demonstrating strength and ferocity…commendable and memorable characteristics.
Mixed emotions accompanied the viewing of a structure like the Brou. On the one hand, I was awed by its size and curious about its origins, but on the other hand, I was very sad to see that something that had been constructed with so much love and dedicated to a loved one and to God was now reduced to a tourist attraction. I suppose that is better than being torn down or being used for more destructive things like many of these old buildings experienced during the 1800’s, such as paper mills and factories of all kinds. I guess things are not meant to go on forever in the same fashion as they are at this moment. One cannot dwell on the possibilities of the future but must become ent
renched in the nuances and potential of now. Life is a moment-by-moment event, where we are constantly making decisions that will affect a consequence in the future. What a concept, what a challenge…history makes me think about what it might be like in the future; however, at the end of the day, the most important thing is what am I doing now to make the day more abundant, to love Christ more abundantly, and to care for others more fully. History has its place, but it is the action, not the narrative, upon which we must concentrate.
After so many adventures on the bike, I must say that it was a little refreshing to be in a city again, where I did not need a bike to see many wonderful things. I took the easy path, simply hopping on a train and walking around the city. So, with my lentils and zucchini that I brought from home and 2 euros for a delicious snack later in the day, I struck out to discover this “ugly” city. Now that I have visited so many towns in this area, I am very critical of the way cities are arranged and the way they welcome tourists; I have discovered that I have even become a little jaded about my impression of the beauty of things. For instance, it takes a little more now to impress me than when I first arrived. This I do not think it a good thing, so I am trying very diligently to ensure that I do not lose the excitement of seeing new things.
Anyway, Bourg is a very well-marked city, with signs directing tourists to the Office of Tourism at every stop, which is great for someone like me who will strike out on the right path towards something and end up missing it because the road curved or the name of the str
eet changed. Who knows what impedes me sometimes from finding my way! They were very helpful at the office and provided me with a great map of the historical part of Bourg that contained a recommended path and corresponding information about those sites. What a time I had with that map. I was determined to find every single site it mentioned and follow the path exactly (something I am not very accustomed to doing considering my idea of a tour of the city is to wander until I see a building or a place that interests me). It was refreshing to have such a structured way of seeing the city, but what a sight I must have made…every five seconds looking at my map, wandering around the city. I did not see anyone else taking the path I was taking, but in general the city was not incredibly populated.The main attraction in the town, and of course the reason I ventured to the city, is the Brou. It was a monastery during the 16th and 17th centuries, but now it is solely a tourist attraction and museum. The church and it history is what lures people to the site. Inscribed within one of the small chapels inside the basilica is an ominous and depressing phrase, “Fortune importune fort une.” In English, this could mean one of two things, “Fortune but also misfortune reinforce a woman;” or “Persistent fortune demands much from a woman.” Addressing the commissioner’s fate, a woman named Margaret of Austria who married three times and out-lived two of her husbands
, the latter for whom she built the Brou, which she never saw because she died two years before it was completed, the inscription immortalizes her life and her tragedies. The Brou is a symbol of love and devotion because Margaret built it with her own resources---which were plentiful as she was a duchess of Burgundy---for her husband whom she loved dearly but who died only three years after their marriage. She never remarried after his death, but the couple remains buried in close proximity to one another in the church.It really was incredible to simply stand inside and see its grandeur and the sheer expanse of the building because it was enormous and very empty. It is no longer used for worship, so the main part of the basilica, which in those days (16th century) was normally a minimally decorated space, is quite bare. However, the remainder of the basilica is quite grandiose. The tombs are especially extraordinary and I think worth the visit. Yes, it is a little strange to be so amazed by the tombs of dead people, but I think it is less about what they contain and more about the beauty of how they were made. The detail and the symbolism are quite unbelievable. For the women (Margaret and the mother of her husband and othe
rs in general), a dog reposes at the foot of the dead person as a symbol of guardianship and protection. For the men (Margaret’s husband and those in general), a lion sleeps at the feet of the dead, demonstrating strength and ferocity…commendable and memorable characteristics.Mixed emotions accompanied the viewing of a structure like the Brou. On the one hand, I was awed by its size and curious about its origins, but on the other hand, I was very sad to see that something that had been constructed with so much love and dedicated to a loved one and to God was now reduced to a tourist attraction. I suppose that is better than being torn down or being used for more destructive things like many of these old buildings experienced during the 1800’s, such as paper mills and factories of all kinds. I guess things are not meant to go on forever in the same fashion as they are at this moment. One cannot dwell on the possibilities of the future but must become ent
renched in the nuances and potential of now. Life is a moment-by-moment event, where we are constantly making decisions that will affect a consequence in the future. What a concept, what a challenge…history makes me think about what it might be like in the future; however, at the end of the day, the most important thing is what am I doing now to make the day more abundant, to love Christ more abundantly, and to care for others more fully. History has its place, but it is the action, not the narrative, upon which we must concentrate. 
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