Imagine for a moment that you are transported back in time to the XIIIth century. You find yourself in the medieval fortress of Brancion, in southern Burgundy . The image of the lords of Brancion, until now more noted for pillage than religious zeal, is about to change. Jocerand de Brancion is joining the 7 th Crusade, to fight in the Holy Land . During the battle of Mansourah he will die by the side of Saint Louis . His ancestral holding of Brancion consists of the castle, a village, and a church. Standing atop one of the watchtowers, and looking out over the green Burgundian countryside, you watch as Jocerand and his entourage ride out to join the Crusade.

If you visit today's Brancion you can stand on the same tower and let your mind's eye transport you back to that bygone time. It isn't too difficult, because the landscape before you looks in many ways the same as it did centuries ago: the green farmland, the rolling hills. There is a timelessness here that recalls an illuminated page from a book of hours. The castle, village and church are now a museum, but a museum that lets you use your imagination to flesh out the details of life as it was in the middle ages. With the information pamphlet that you receive on paying your admission fee, and your ability to visualize, you are ready to go back in time.

Brancion has not been restored to the extent of other castles and medieval sites in the area around Macon . Rather than being a detriment, this actually helps in setting your mind free to picture it as it existed in medieval times. You enter the castle through an entrance bridge, and pass the original foundation, which was built in the Xth century. Winding your way up the various levels, you see old stones that were erected more for defense than luxury. There are a few artifacts from the XIIth through the XVth centuries on display - just enough to set your thoughts back to what it was like in 1250, the year Jocerand de Brancion died.

After touring the castle, you wind your way through the village, with its structures dating to the XVth century, and arrive at the church of St. Peter . The church is a perfect example of the Romanesque architecture that is found in many towns and villages in the area. Inside are frescoes that were painted in the XIVth century, when Brancion was a holding of the Dukes of Burgundy. The interior of the church is dark and hushed. The same timelessness that you experience looking out from the castle tower pervades the church also. Brancion is a like a do-it-yourself museum. Here, guided by your imagination and helped along by the ancient stones of the castle and church, you take a self-guided tour through a small piece of the Middle Ages.