Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps is a town of the Great Saint-Emilion Area and belongs to the Canton of North Libourne. Located in the district of Libourne, it is 16 km from Saint-Émilion and has an area of 1,432 ha. Today the town has 724 inhabitants, and these are called the Petits-Palaisiens and Petits-Palaisiennes.

A BIT OF HISTORY

Origin of the name

Petit-Palais comes from Gallic blades when to Cornemps name of Gallo-Roman origin meaning sacred place. Formed by the merger of two municipalities on March 21st, 1816.

History

The current town of Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps was formerly divided into two less distinct villages. It included Petit-Palais et Cornemps, owned by Puynormand, better known under the name of castellany Puynormand in the Middle Ages.

Strongly marked by religion, the town has two churches that were the scene of violent clashes between Protestants and Catholics in the late 16th century during the Wars of Religion. The Notre-Dame and Saint-Pierre church, built respectively in the 11th and 13th centuries, remain fine buildings.

During the Revolution, the Saint-Pierre de Palais parish (or Petit-Palais) form the town of Petit-Palais and the parish Notre-Dame of Cornemps (of Saint-Pierre of Camps) forms the town of Cornemps. On March 21st, 1816, the municipality of Cornemps is linked to that of Petit-Palais and they became Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps.

A NATURAL HERITAGE

The Le Palais and Gendarme creeks roam the town over some 7 km.

VINEYARDS

Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps is a town of 320 hectares of vineyards in Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur. The village benefits from 11 wineries, producing various wines of the Bordeaux appellation for over 2 centuries.

POINTS OF INTEREST

It is said that the village is on of the many stops along the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela . The tradition recalls the miracles that gave rise to the pilgrimages, the Saint Blaise’s day in Cornemps.

The Tourist Office of the Greater Saint-Emilion Area offers hiking trails on Petit-Palais, downloadable here.

The town has two listed historical sites studied for their remarkable features: The Saint Pierre church of Petit Palais and Notre Dame of Cornemps church.

The Saint-Pierre is a listed building of the 13th century. The particular front is a marvel: one of the finest Romanesque façades in the region, with beautiful proportions and a lot of carvings. Give a special attention to the various surprises that can be discovered: the thorn shooter above and right of the door; two lions with oriental style that overcome false doors;almond tori covered of wolf teeth; archivolts and varied capitals. This is the richest Romanesque façades of the Gironde.

The Notre Dame of Cornemps Church of the 11th century is listed as a historical monument. The entire western part of the church is in ruins. Its exterior, generously topped with thick ivy, reveals canted columns, roughly carved cornice brackets with figures of men or mouths of animals.

The town of Petit-Palais-et-Cornemps is also rich in heritage : fountain and wash house, crossroads crosses, dovecote, bread oven, etc ...