To discover
A must-see on the Beaujolais wine route
Discover without delay what makes our beautiful village of Clochemerle so famous
The pissotière
The novel
The museum
The carousel
The theatre and the museum are open to the public during the cellar’s opening hours.
The pissotiere
Unique and inimitable with its pissoir, which never ceases to fuel debates
The village of Clochemerle was still wondering not long ago about its replacement and new positioning!
Having lost its vocation as a car park, the central square of Vaux en Beaujolais has been completely redeveloped.
Now paved, it is surrounded by renovated facades with the new Pissotiere in the centre.
In its extension, a panoramic terrace allows you to admire the magnificent vineyard landscape.
A good introduction before visiting the Gabriel Chevallier Museum and the Cave de Clochemerle.
The novel
The novel Clochemerle was published in 1934 and translated into 27 languages.
It all began when Barthélemy Piéchut, mayor of the commune of Clochemerle-en-Beaujolais, revealed his project to Ernest Tafardel, the schoolteacher :
“- I want to build a urinal, Tafardel.
– A urinal?” exclaimed the teacher, quite taken aback… The mayor misunderstood the meaning of the exclamation
– Finally, he said, a pissoir!”
This urinal, destined, perhaps, more to confound Madame Baroness Alphonsine de Courtebiche, the priest Ponosse, the notary Girodot and the henchmen of the reaction, than to procure a great relief for the male population of Clochemerle, will be built very close to the church where Justine Putet, an old lady, keeps a close watch.
Indignant at seeing so many “things” displayed under her windows, from which she had hitherto kept away, she then went on a crusade against the public aedicule, helped by pious women.
In the course of this war over a pissoir, antagonisms and secrets that are usually kept hidden are crudely and amusingly revealed.
But it seems that this joyful satire was well received since several villages claim the honour of having served as a model for Clochemerle-en-Beaujolais…
The museum
A museum in memory of Gabriel Chevallier gathers the author's works, some of which are little known
Paper and audiovisual documents on his life and his relationship with Vaux-en-Beaujolais, and family archives kindly lent by his heirs.
Born in Lyon in 1895, after studying in various establishments, including a religious college, Gabriel Chevallier entered the Beaux-Arts in 1911. He was mobilised in 1914 and wounded a year later. He nevertheless finished the war.
From 1925 onwards, he began writing novels, initially using his own experiences: with “La Peur” (Fear), he bears witness to his atrocious ordeal as a soldier; but it was with “Clochemerle”, a Rabelaisian village chronicle published in 1934, that he achieved success. Translated into 27 languages and selling several million copies, the book brought fame and fortune to its author.
Gabriel Chevallier died in 1969 in Cannes, leaving behind a work that has become a classic and is still published in paperback.
The carousel
A carousel and its automatons are the highlight of the entertainment offered by the wine tourism centre.
The twelve great figures of the novel are represented in stage games and animate two famous pieces of the book.
The characters present themselves in Beaujolais song.
Prepare your visit to Clochemerle !
Discover also the restaurants of Clochemerle, “l’Auberge de Clochemerle” and “l’Échanson”, to delight your taste buds before or after a visit to the cellar…
