Chalon-sur-Saone and Macon: Braun & Hogenberg Antique Map
This hand-colored engraving from the Civitates Orbis Terrarum presents side-by-side bird’s-eye views of two fortified towns along the Saône River in Burgundy, France: Matiscona (Mâcon) on the left and Cabilinum (Chalon-sur-Saône) on the right. Both towns are depicted with remarkable urban detail, including red-roofed buildings, churches, defensive walls, towers, and bridges crossing the river.
Mâcon appears densely built within rounded ramparts, with a prominent cathedral and multiple cloistered complexes. A multi-arched stone bridge spans the river to connect the town to its eastern bank. Chalon, also enclosed by bastioned fortifications, is shown with a more complex urban layout featuring a large central church, wide ramparts, and extensive outer defenses, including ravelins and a fortified island structure in the Saône.
Both maps are oriented with north at the top and adorned with heraldic crests, stylized water textures, and agricultural field patterns surrounding the towns—capturing not only the strategic architecture but also the civic pride of these important regional centers.
View of Full sheet.
Date of Publication: Between 1572 and 1617
Engraver: Frans Hogenberg
Braun & Hogenberg’s Civitates Orbis Terrarum (“Cities of the World”) is a monumental six-volume atlas of urban topography compiled between 1572 and 1617. Conceived as a companion to Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, it was the first comprehensive printed collection of city views and maps ever produced. The work provides a rich visual record of over 500 cities from across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas during the late Renaissance, featuring detailed bird’s-eye views, cartouches, and depictions of local inhabitants, architecture, and dress. It reflects not only geographical interest but also the growing civic pride and commercial importance of cities in the early modern period.
Georg Braun (1541–1622), a cleric and scholar from Cologne, served as the principal editor and driving force behind the Civitates. He compiled texts for the city descriptions and coordinated contributions from a wide network of cartographers and artists. His aim was both didactic and celebratory: to showcase the beauty and significance of cities around the known world.
Frans Hogenberg (c. 1535–1590), a Flemish engraver and mapmaker, was responsible for many of the atlas’s intricate engravings. He had previously collaborated with Abraham Ortelius and brought both technical skill and artistic flair to the project. Hogenberg’s meticulous visual style was essential in defining the distinctive look of the Civitates plates.
Together, Braun and Hogenberg created a work that remains an invaluable source for historians, urban scholars, and collectors today.
Translation of text on the back from Latin into English)
MATISCONA (Mâcon)
Burgundy is an expansive and broad territory, once so great in scope that it encompassed several kingdoms. Due to its size, it was divided into seven episcopal provinces, many of which had cathedral cities. Among these were the dioceses of Lyon (not the one in Gaul near Brittany, but the one more internal), Autun, Mâcon, Auxerre, Chalon, and Langres—each overseen by prelates. In this map we present two key cities of this province: Mâcon (Matiscona) and Chalon (Cabillonum).
Mâcon has had various names through history: the Romans called it Matiscona, the Gauls referred to it as Matisiane or Marilano, and in modern French it is known as Mâcon. In the Roman itinerary of Antoninus, it is referred to as a fortress. Various details from ancient histories and from Caesar’s writings help to trace its antiquity and importance. It is located on the Arar (Saône) river—a long, navigable river that rises from the Vosges mountains, dividing the Hedui and Sequani peoples. It flows through Burgundy and toward Lyon, where it joins the Rhône. The river and region are celebrated for their fertility, shaded groves, and historical significance.
During Caesar’s campaign in Gaul, the Saône (Arar) was a crucial route. The bridge at Mâcon was rebuilt many times, and its construction is said to have no known original foundation. The town’s fortifications were reinforced in the time of King Philip Augustus (1242), particularly its gates and towers. It boasts a notable church, courts, and ecclesiastical institutions. Mâcon has long held ecclesiastical importance and remains one of the most prominent towns of the region.
CABILLONUM (Chalon-sur-Saône)
Chalon, close to Mâcon in the province of Lyon and within the domain of Burgundy and the Kingdom of France, retains the name Chalon-sur-Saône. Its great antiquity is affirmed by Caesar, who mentions stationing Q. Cicero and P. Sulpicius there during his campaigns. Although its original structure and urban form are difficult to define—having evolved over time—Chalon was long recognized as a city of note.
Some claim that the Monastery of Saint Peter, now part of the cathedral complex, was once situated outside the city but has since been enclosed within its walls. The city maintained civic institutions such as a senate, magistrates, and ceremonial offices. All this confirms that Chalon was not a town of ordinary standing, but a city of noble status with royal connections.
Its cathedral, collegiate churches, and monasteries testify to its ecclesiastical prestige. It also once housed the court of Burgundy and other noble residences. Despite changing times, Chalon remains a place of significant historical and cultural heritage, maintaining visible traces of its ancient dignity.
