After a few days of adjusting to Europe time, finally we are off to Burgundy on the Eurostar. Most people go to Burgundy with dreams of food and wine, but no vineyards on this tour! Instead, we spend the week studying the art and architecture of medieval churches, abbeys, and cathedrals.  Our lecturer is John McNeill, a medieval architectural historian and Honorary Secretary of the British Archaeological Association. 

The Kingdom of Burgundy was an important power in the Middle Ages and a large ducal territory before it was absorbed into France after 1477.  The first Cistercian abbey (the Cistercians were reformers emerging from the Cluniac monastics, who themselves started out as reformers) was founded in Burgandy in 1098.  The region is filled with extant religious structures built in the Romanesque and Gothic styles.  Medieval Burgandy structures have an architectural style unique to the region and are known for their elegant sculptures.  Tonight, we sleep in Tournus and the first site visits start tomorrow.