Fontenay Foundry

Preserved at Fontenay is the first foundry, that is, the first factory given to the casting of metals. Its central feature is its hydraulic hammer, driven by a water wheel, which hammered the iron into the desired shapes...nails, horseshoes, and such. Pretty cool. So how many of your other websites take you in one swell foop from spiritual to metallurgical?!

The foundry building, 13th century; nearly as large as the abbey church

Nails and spikes

A horseshoe (left); and the ore it comes from

The hammer

Bellows

Significance of it all...first metallurgical factory in Europe and site
of the invention of the hydraulic hammer, which "became the basis
of industrial manufacturing of iron in Europe"

Shaft driving the hammer

Helpful working model of it all

Expansion of the idea throughout the continent

Parts list; thankfully, Ikea was not involved

The water wheel

Fontenay Abbey

There were three abbeys in the area near Flavigny in olden times, but only one has survived, Fontenay Abbey, one of France's best preserved. That's the good news. The bad news is that it was Cistercian, which means austerity in both art and architecture. It's a World Heritage Site, however, and well worth the visit. Its most interesting feature has little to do with all the prayer and devotion and study associated with monasteries and abbeys and such, however. Rather, it is of technological interest. In addition to the religious functions, abbeys were also engines of enterprise and innovation. Someone had to support all that prayer and devotion and study. Turns out Fontenay was a site of huge importance in metallurgy...next post.

Helpful aerial view in the ticket office

Huge old plane tree, planted 1780

In the abbey church; gravel floor in the nave

Nave and two aisles

Chancel

One of several burials in the chancel

Tile in the chancel

Abaft the beam

Cloister; pretty austere

Dormitory

Artsy view in the cnurch

Refectory

Rather little ornamentation

Looking toward the formal garden (later addition)

Pope Alexander III's bull recognizing Fontenay, 1168 

Such ornamentation as there is, in the museum/gift shop

Anis De Flavigny

Les anis de Flavigny, the very famous little French mint, has been produced in Flavigny since at least 1591. Only one producer remains, however, the Troubat family, but its factory, with 25 employees, is open to the public, and much of the ground floor is devoted to the history of the candy and its making. Anise is one of my favorite flavors, although I prefer it in liquid form--Pernod, Ricard, etc.--and Vicki is always open to candy stores, so...

You could walk right by the place never suspecting anything
more than the neighborhood candy shop

Yet, beyond the candy shop are room after room of
displays on the candy, its making, history, importance
in French culture, etc.

The process, called dragee, involves coating a single
anise seed with a sugar syrup successively over 15
days...above are examples from various days of coating 

Video presentations in various rooms

Bonbons of our childhood

Anise is not the only flavor nowadays...among ingredients of other
flavors

As in a perfumery, squeeze the bulb and you get a whiff of aroma

Packaging; historically

Famous client department

Can't get more famous than this

Used to carry the royal Anis de Flavigny in a little round like this

Easy to miss! Free samples!

Plunk the magic twanger and a mint pops out

Walking around by the factory, with its 25 employees

Classroom with old candy-making devices

I don't think they're into sugar-free yet

Sweet!