Marché de l'Avent de Treigny

The Marché de l'Avent de Treigny: ceramics and crafts at the Couvent de Puisaye

Every year in November, as the Christmas holidays approach, the village of Treigny (Yonne, 89520) and its Couvent host the Marché de l'Avent, a dual event that is both intimate and convivial. Organized by the Association des Potiers Créateurs de Puisaye (APCP), this Advent market takes place in two complementary spaces: the Couvent's exhibition hall for the Céramique de l'Avent (Advent Ceramics), and the Treigny communal hall for the artisan market itself.

This winter event, distinct from the large summer Ceramics Festival (second weekend in August), offers a more intimate and accessible opportunity to discover the creations of Puisaye potters and find unique and authentic gifts before the holidays. Admission is completely free and the event is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Céramique de l'Avent: the APCP potters' exhibition at the Couvent

The first component of the Marché de l'Avent is the Céramique de l'Avent exhibition, held in the exhibition spaces of the Couvent de Treigny. This collective exhibition brings together the creations of fifteen APCP member ceramists — the Association des Potiers Créateurs de Puisaye — around the theme of Advent and the end-of-year holidays.

The works presented range from artisanal tableware to decorative pieces, from ceramic sculptures to stoneware or porcelain jewelry. Stoneware, translucent porcelain, glazed earthenware, raku: the diversity of techniques represented reflects the creative richness of the APCP and the deep roots of Puisaye in French pottery tradition.

The exhibition also highlights a part of the former stoneware collection of the commune of Treigny, a testament to the pottery history of this region where clay has shaped lives and landscapes for centuries. This historical perspective gives a special depth to the exhibition and places contemporary craftsmanship within the long tradition of Puisaye.

The exhibiting potters for the inaugural edition included: Sophie Bidot, Lydie Bonnefous, Isabelle Daucourt, Isabelle Delin, Charles-Henri Guiéba, Monique Isambert, Christophe Léger, Inès Lopez-Sanchez-Mathély, Cécile Lowy, Soline Peninon, Francisco Pereira, Valérie Pupil, Sylvestre Rivière, Alexandra Schenke, Emilie Vanhaecke.

The Marché de l'Avent at the communal hall: gift ideas and local crafts

Simultaneously with the ceramic exhibition at the Couvent, the Marché de l'Avent takes place in the Treigny communal hall, where about fifteen artisan exhibitors offer their creations and products for the holidays. This market space offers a wide range of original and artisanal Christmas gifts:

• Local wines: wines from regional producers in Puisaye and Yonne to accompany festive meals.
• Home textiles: hand-woven or printed tablecloths, cushions, tea towels, and accessories.
• Watercolors and illustrations: original works and prints signed by local artists.
• Wooden Christmas trees: hand-crafted natural wood table and wall decorations.
• Pastries and sweets: artisanal cakes and cookies for festive tables.
• Artisanal soaps: plant-based and essential oil soaps, superfatted and natural.
• Jewelry and adornments: creations in metal, resin, and natural materials.
• Minerals and stones: raw and cut semi-precious stones, fossils, and crystals.
• Wooden decorations: Christmas ornaments, figurines, and decorative garlands.
• Gourmet products: artisanal honeys, jams, spices, and condiments.
• Artisanal coffee: specialty coffees roasted by local artisans.
• Cotton jewelry: light and colorful creations in macrame cotton thread.
• Porcelain figurines: santons, nativity scene figures, and festive ornaments.
• Macarons: artisanal macarons and Christmas confectionery.

Refreshments and catering: the warm welcome of Puisaye

The Marché de l'Avent de Treigny includes a refreshment stand and on-site catering, allowing visitors to eat and warm up during their visit. Hot drinks (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, mulled wine) and light, convivial food — soup, savory tarts, pastries — are generally offered in a friendly and warm spirit, characteristic of the welcome in Puisaye.

The Couvent de Treigny, a unique heritage setting

The Couvent de Treigny, located on Rue du Couvent, is a 15th-century building fully restored by the municipality. Owned by the municipality, it is made available to the APCP (Association des Potiers Créateurs de Puisaye), which has managed it since 2006 as a space for permanent and temporary exhibitions, ceramic workshops, and cultural events.

The Couvent is open to the public from spring to autumn, and its exhibition spaces host various events related to contemporary ceramics and the heritage of Puisaye throughout the year. Access is free and open to all, in line with the cultural and popular vocation of this place.

Puisaye, land of clay and potters

Treigny is located in the heart of Puisaye, a vast hedged farmland area straddling the Yonne and Nièvre departments, whose clay-sandstone subsoils have made its reputation since the Middle Ages. Puisaye clay, rich in iron and silica, is particularly suitable for making stoneware — dense, waterproof, and resistant — which has long been used to make jars, bottles, and containers of all kinds.

Puisaye is also the birthplace of Colette, the great Burgundian novelist (1873-1954), who immortalized these landscapes of hedgerows, ponds, and undergrowth in her most famous novels. The Musée Colette in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye, about ten kilometers from Treigny, is today one of the region's major literary and tourist attractions.

Two kilometers from Treigny, the medieval construction site of Guédelon — where a team of builders has been constructing a castle using 13th-century techniques since 1997 — attracts more than 300,000 visitors each year and gives this corner of Puisaye exceptional tourist appeal. Treigny-Perreuse-Sainte-Colombe, a new commune formed by the merger of Treigny and neighboring municipalities, fully benefits from this attraction.