Around 1215, Hervé IV de Donzy, Count of Nevers, and his wife Mahaut de Courtenay enlarged Château Musard to approximately 200 metres in length and 50 metres in width. The complex was surrounded by a 900-metre-long defensive wall and twelve towers; today, only ruins remain.
When planning a trip, one option may be to rent a holiday apartment in Billy-sur-Oisy.
Geographical setting
Billy-sur-Oisy lies 8 kilometres west of Clamecy on the Oisy River. The Oisy is a small tributary of the Sauzay, which in turn drains into the Beuvron and, via the Beuvron, into the Yonne.
Landscape
The 235-metre-high Château Musard hill rises above the Fontaine du Grez, an important spring. The municipal forest of Billy-sur-Oisy covers 366 hectares.
The Circuit Château Musard circular trail leads through the countryside as a walking route. Water is omnipresent along the way, and numerous washhouses can be seen beside the route.
History and crafts
Château Musard lies approximately 500 metres south of the village. It was probably built by the Romans to monitor a nearby Roman road.
From 1652 onwards, Billy-sur-Oisy was a centre of basketry for three centuries. The local waterways encouraged the formation of soils suitable for growing basket willows.
The washhouse at Place du Pilori is one of the three washhouses in Billy-sur-Oisy described as being in excellent condition. Terre Ô Possible produces functional collections made of stoneware, either as one-off pieces or in series.
Culture and buildings
Several cultural and historical sites are located in the vicinity of Billy-sur-Oisy: the Artothèque de Clamecy is a museum, Druyes Castle is a historic site, the Château des Évêques d’Auxerre is a castle, and the Église Notre-Dame is a church.
The wider regional surroundings of Billy-sur-Oisy include the Grottes d’Arcy, a cave.
The Church of Saint-Laurent in Billy-sur-Oisy has stained-glass windows dating from 1588 and contains an 18th-century altarpiece. On 21 July 1939, it was classified as a protected movable object under reference number PM58000059.
Other places in this selection: Vitry-Laché, Luzy, Saint-Martin-Du-Puy, Sermoise, Tannay, Sougy-Sur-Loire, Ciez, Marigny-Sur-Yonne.
