Posted on 04.03.2016, 15.05.2016
Located in central France, in the northwest of the region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, bordering Île-de-France, Yonne department was created in 1790 during the French Revolution. It was named after the river Yonne, a left tributary of the Seine, which rises in the Morvan hills and flows northwards through department. The Canal de Bourgogne, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, joins the River Yonne through locks at Migennes a little further north from Auxerre.
Auxerre, the biggest city and the capital of the department, was once a flourishing Gallo-Roman centre (Autissiodorum), through which passed one of the main roads of the area, the Via Agrippa. In the late 11th-early 12th century the existing communities were included inside a new line of walls built by the feudal Counts of Auxerre. The Burgundian city became part of France under King Louis XI. It was noted for its production of Burgundy wine since the 12th century.
The second biggest town of department is Sens, situated at the confluence of the rivers Vanne and Yonne. It is supposed to have been one of the oppida of the Senones, one of the oldest Celtic tribes living in Gaul, and was mentioned as Agedincum by Julius Caesar. Starting from 1135, its cathedral was rebuilt as one of the first Gothic cathedrals. There, in 1234, Louis IX of France celebrated his wedding to Marguerite of Provence. The city declined after Paris was elevated to archdiocese in 1622.
Located between Auxerre and Sens, Joigny is the third city of the department, and has one of the largest sets of houses in Burgundy timbered. The first foundations date back to 996, but the city was rebuilt after the great fire of 1530. It spilled down the terraces of the Côte St-Jacques, famous for its vin gris. To the north and east of the town is the unspoilt wooded area of the Pays d'Othe which stretches into the Champagne region. Making a refreshing change from wine, this is cider making country.
Avallon was erected on a flat promontory, on the site of the Roman settlement carrying the Celtic name Aballo. In the year 470, the Romano-British king, Riothamus disappeared (and presumably died) in the neighborhood of Avallon after being defeated by the Goths. This, and other aspects of his reign, has made him a candidate for the King Arthur, with Avallon becoming Arthurian Avalon. Tonnerre appeared in Roman times as Tornodurum ("fortress" for Lingons), and in Middle Age it served as crossing point between Paris and Dijon.
About the stamps
On the postcard 2347
Both stamps are part of the series Prendre le taureau par les cornes, about which I wrote here.
On the postcard 2554
The first stamp is part of the serie The second stamp is part of the series Mozart's Operas, about which I wrote here.
References
Yonne -Wikipedia
Sender 2347: Simone
Sent from Grenoble (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 23.12.2015
Sender 2554: Jean-Yves Gerlat & his friends
Sent from Grenoble (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 01.04.2016
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