Melun.—An old town on the Seine, with the Church of Notre Dame on the island (eleventh century and later), and St. Aspais on the north bank of the river, a graceful late Gothic church.
Versailles.—A considerable town; the huge royal palace is on the west side, with the gardens and park extending beyond.
St. Germain-en-Laye.—A pleasant little town, built by François I., also having a royal palace and a forest attached to it; the terrace on the east side of the park has a splendid view over Paris.
The interests of Melun to the passing stranger are summed up in the two churches of Notre Dame and St. Aspais. The first is on the island formed by the Seine, and is a curious specimen of eleventh-century architecture, with alterations and additions made in the twelfth, fifteenth, and later centuries. The Tour de César, also on the island, is a relic of the royal castle demolished in 1740. The Church of St. Aspais, on the north side of the river, is an irregularly shaped building of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a beautiful choir, having a fine vaulted ambulatory.
Henry V. captured Melun in 1420, but ten years later Joan of Arc stirred up the people to regain their liberty, and with her help the English were expelled.
Town Plan No. 31.—Melun.
No. 25. MELUN TO ST. GERMAIN-EN-LAYE, AVOIDING PARIS