The river Yonne leads to Auxerre and to one of the most beautiful urban landscapes in France rising above the river. From the jumble of old houses and their high red-brown roofs covered with the distinctive flat tiles so characteristic of northern Burgundy, emerge the Gothic spires of the church of Saint-Pierre and the cathedral of Saint-Etienne (13C-16C), the latter with its superb stained glass windows and its Romanesque crypt containing the famous fresco of Christ in Majesty. The visitor may also admire the Romanesque bell tower of the former abbey of Saint-Germain (12C-14C) with its Carolingian crypts (12C-14C) decorated by the oldest known frescos in France (9C). The yellow and red ochres from the neighbouring Puisaye region were used to depict the life and death of the martyr St Stephen at a time when Auxerre was one of the leading intellectual and artistic centres of the Carolingian Empire. Further away from the river, the great golden dials of the Clock Tower (Tour de l’Horloge) dominate the upper part of the town. The townscape is reflected in the peaceful waters of the Yonne and at nightfall springs gloriously to life when the principal buildings are illuminated. Countless treasures await discovery in this picture postcard setting. The conventual buildings of Saint-Germain are now home to a magnificent museum, while in the cathedral, organ recitals vie for attention with the sculptures adorning the doors and one of the most beautiful series of stained glass windows in France, fully comparable to those of Bourges and Chartres. Other attractions include numerous churches, the Leblanc-Duvernois Museum displaying a collection of tapestries and earthenware in the setting of an 18C town house as well as a host of other houses and mansions. Meanwhile, along the banks of the Yonne, inland water cruising helps to perpetuate the colourful atmosphere once provided by the bargees. In the Marine district, the statue of St Nicholas, patron saint of the barge men, looks out over the square where today’s river folk and passers-by quench their thirst near the fountain.