Travel Guide La Comelle

Between the Beuvray massif and the Arroux valley, La Comelle covers more than 2,000 hectares. Between Bibracte and Augustodunum, the commune was particularly populated and rich in activity. But the traces of a more recent past are more visible, such as the Château du Jeu, in the hamlet of the same name. On the hillside, this feudal castle consisted of a main building with two towers, a chapel detached from the main building, a stable for horses, four stables for oxen and sheep, a barn, sheds, next to a dovecote and even a prison with a double iron door in one of the towers. The castle cannot be visited. Other mansions dress the town as the castle of Boursons. Built in the 19th century, it has two floors arranged by many bays and a view of the park. La Comelle also has a church consecrated in 1901 whose stained glass windows tell the story of the notable families of the country and a chapel with a fountain.Legend has it that at the top of the Montagne de la Garde, the statue of the Virgin who has watched over the village since1889, has water reputed to cure eye diseases, provided you go there on 12 August, the saint's feast day, before sunrise.It should be noted that La Comelle was the birthplace of Jeanne Barret (1740-1807), the first woman to complete a round-the-world voyage. Passing herself off as the valet of her companion Philibert Commerson, a botanist, she embarked on Bougainville's voyage in 1766-1768.